Germany’s Alexander Zverev hits a return against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their men’s singles semi-final match on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
Alexander Zverev has been trying for a decade to win a Grand Slam and has overcome an array of challenges to put himself on the brink of a breakthrough at the Australian Open 2025.
slot mate free slot casinoThe 6-foot-6 German has been destined for the top from a young age, hailing from a tennis family where his mother and father both played the sport to a high level in the former Soviet Union.
Article continues after this advertisement“For me, my family is everything and I owe them a lot for helping me to become the tennis player that I am today,” the 27-year-old, often seen as the sport’s most unfulfilled talent, said.
FEATURED STORIES SPORTS Pacquiao fight memorabilia continue to shoot up in value SPORTS PBA: San Miguel grinds out crucial win over Converge SPORTS Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler drama: 'Get used to it' READ: Australian Open: Djokovic retires injured to put Zverev in final“They both worked extremely hard and taught my brother and me everything we know,” added Zverev, who faces Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final in Melbourne.
He has been through the grinder on his way to the top, living with diabetes, dealing with a serious ankle injury and having allegations that he assaulted an ex-girlfriend splashed across the world’s newspapers.
Article continues after this advertisementThe court case was dropped last year after a settlement was agreed hours before he was due to play in the French Open semi-finals.
Article continues after this advertisementHe strenuously denied the allegations.
Article continues after this advertisementKnown by his nickname “Sascha”, Zverev’s greatest achievement so far was winning gold at the Covid-hit Tokyo Olympics.
READ: Australian Open: Zverev complains when feather delays playIt was the first time a German had clinched the men’s singles title, stunning heavy favorite Novak Djokovic before taking down Karen Khachanov in the final.
Article continues after this advertisement“There is nothing better than this,” he said at the time — except perhaps winning a Grand Slam crown.
Born in Hamburg in 1997 to Russian parents, Zverev was exposed to tennis from an early age through his mother Irina and father Alexander, who remains his coach.
They moved to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union, where they began training their son.
His talent quickly became evident, winning the boys’ singles tournament at the 2014 Australian Open and becoming junior world number one.
He broke into the senior ranks and was named the 2015 ATP Newcomer of the Year. By the time he was 20, he was in the world’s top three.
READ: ATP finds ‘insufficient evidence’ on abuse allegations against Zverev Highs and lowsZverev, who idolized Roger Federer growing up, made his first Grand Slam final in 2020 at the US Open, agonizingly losing in five sets to Dominic Thiem after being 2-0 up.
But his seemingly unstoppable rise was temporarily halted when he tore ankle ligaments while playing Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros semis two years later and he underwent surgery.
Returning in January 2023, Zverev captured a 20th career title in Hamburg before the best season of his career in 2024, powering into the French Open final and surging to world number two, dispelling concerns that he was mentally frail.
“In the life of a professional athlete you will have the highest highs and the lowest lows,” said Zverev.
“Getting caught up in the lows is the biggest mistake that you can make.
“You shouldn’t try to evaluate everything when times are tough, you should try to find ways to get better when you’re on a high.”
“Nearly 3 billion people and more than half of the world’s food production are now in areas where total water storage is projected to decline,” said the report by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW).
Zverev has suffered from diabetes since he was four and created the Alexander Zverev Foundation in 2022 to support children with the condition and provide medication for those in developing countries.
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An avid football and basketball fanfb777, his older brother Mischa also played on the ATP Tour.
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