Alexander Zverev is powerless against Jannik Sinner. It’s a problem he shares with the entire tennis world.
The path to the highest peaks of the tennis world is blocked for Alexander Zverev—because Jannik Sinner exists. And so, after his brutal defeat in the Madrid final, Germany’s number one made a suggestion to the Italian. At the French Open in Paris (starting May 24), Sinner could “maybe take a break,” Zverev said with a touch of gallows humor.
The Hamburg native simply can’t find a way to beat the world No. 1, and ahead of the upcoming Grand Slam tournament in France, that seems like a certainty. But he’s not the only one with this problem, Zverev said.
“There’s a huge gap right now between Sinner and everyone else. It’s that simple,” he said after his 1-6, 2-6 loss at the Madrid Masters: “I’m not the only one who loses to him. I just lose to him more often because I manage to make it to his level every time.”
Zverev stands no chance against Sinner
For Sinner, the victory was a milestone; he became the first player to win five Masters tournaments in a row: Paris in the fall of 2025, as well as Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid this year—and in each case, he also defeated Zverev on his way to the title.
Zverev noted that he himself is also difficult for many players to beat. “There’s also a big gap between Carlos Alcaraz, me, maybe Novak Djokovic, and everyone else. I think there are two gaps right now,” he said. On Sunday in Madrid, however, it had less to do with Sinner’s class: “I think I would have lost to anyone today. I played a terrible match.”
After just 57 minutes, the completely one-sided final was over. Next up for Zverev is the Masters in Rome this week—Sinner’s home tournament, which he has never won.
