Alexander Zverev has received a brutal reality check from retired tennis star Tim Henman. The world No. 2 has still never won a Grand Slam title and has a 0-3 record in finals, including a savage straight-set loss at the Australian Open earlier this year.
The German is often tipped to be the next first-time Major winner on the men’s side. But Henman has now claimed Zverev won’t even be able to outdo Emma Raducanu, who currently has one Grand Slam triumph to her name.
Zverev has won virtually every big title in tennis except a Grand Slam. He already has an Olympic gold medal, two ATP Finals trophies and seven Masters 1000s but is still waiting to be crowned a Major champion.
But the 27-year-old appears to be getting further away from his goal. Zverev led by two sets in his first Grand Slam final back at the 2020 US Open before losing to Dominic Thiem in five.
At last year’s French Open, he lost another five-set final to Carlos Alcaraz. And, less than two months ago, Jannik Sinner thrashed Zverev in straight sets to win the Australian Open.
As Zverev continues to struggle in Major finals, he has now received a brutal comparison to Raducanu. In a recent video, former world No. 4 Henman took part in a this-or-that quiz where he picked which player would end their career with more Grand Slam titles.
When asked to choose between Zverev and Raducanu, the Brit declared that Raducanu would finish with a higher count. It’s a bold choice – the 22-year-old currently only has one Major under her belt, winning the 2021 US Open as a teenage qualifier.
By Henman’s prediction, if Raducanu never captures another one of the sport’s biggest titles, it means Zverev could retire Slam-less.
The world No. 2 has struggled for form since suffering a three-set beatdown in the Australian Open final. Zverev reached the quarter-finals in Argentina and Rio before losing in the last 16 of the Mexican Open.
Zverev also suffered a huge upset in Indian Wells this fortnight, losing his opening match to Tallon Griekspoor.
Asked whether his latest Major final loss had affected his game, the 27-year-old replied: “Maybe a little bit, but I can sit here and have excuses, but at the end of the day I’m just not playing good tennis at the moment. It’s as simple as that.
“I’m not playing a level that I want to play, definitely not playing anywhere near what I played in Australia.
“This is the end result of, I don’t know, yeah, maybe Australian Open. But I’m just, yeah, I’m just disappointed with my game. That’s the number one thing for me.”
