Alexander Zverev described himself as “quite down” and “quite emotional” after once again coming within one win of earning his first Grand Slam title.
And unlike his first two defeats in major finals — both of which he led, and both of which went five sets — Zverev did not come close to reaching the finish line Sunday in the Australian Open final, which ended with defending champion Jannik Sinner holding the trophy after his 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory.
“I’m doing everything I can,” said Zverev, a 27-year-old from Germany who is ranked No. 2 but did not seem anywhere near No. 1 Sinner on this occasion. “I’m working as hard as I ever did. I think I’m doing all the right things off-court. I think I’m practicing the right things. But I lost in straight sets today. I mean, those are facts. That is a fact. I lost to Jannik in straight sets today.”
“I mean, I don’t want to end my career as the best player of all time to never win a Grand Slam, that’s for sure,” added Zverev, whose post-match speech was interrupted by someone in Rod Laver Arena calling out the names of two women who have accused him of physical abuse in the past.
“I’ll keep doing everything I can to lift one of those trophies.”
He is the seventh man in the Open era, which dates to 1968, to start a career with an 0-3 record in title matches at one of the sport’s four most important events.
Five of the other six went on to win at least one major championship. The only member of the group who hasn’t is Casper Ruud, who is also the only one still active.
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Sinner supplied assist to Zverev in the course of the trophy ceremony Sunday. That got here within the type of an arm across the shoulder — and together with his phrases.
“Maintain believing in your self,” Sinner instructed Zverev. “Maintain working onerous, as a result of all of us consider that you would be able to carry one in every of these very, very quickly.”
Simone Vagnozzi, one in every of Sinner’s coaches, stated about Zverev: “I actually hope, ultimately, he wins a Slam, as a result of he deserves it.”
Zverev’s previous trips to the brink of achieving what he very badly wants came at the 2020 U.S. Open, the place he constructed a two-set lead and even held a match level in opposition to Dominic Thiem earlier than faltering, and on the 2024 French Open, the place he led Carlos Alcaraz two units to at least one earlier than letting that slip away.
This one by no means obtained to that kind of stage, and Zverev often confirmed his frustration by cracking rackets.
The closest Zverev got here to essentially making it shut was when he was two factors from taking the second set, however Sinner took the subsequent 4 factors — and that, mainly, was that.
“That was an enormous level. I believe whoever wins that set, sort of can get a bit little bit of momentum,” Zverev stated. “Being down two units to like, particularly, then his confidence goes up, mine goes down. It’s a great distance again then in opposition to somebody like Jannik. If it’s one set all, perhaps I’ve an opportunity. However … I didn’t cease combating. I didn’t cease believing. Then, within the third set, I believed he outplayed me greater than within the different units.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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