Alexander Zverev recently reached the Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic retired from their semi-final clash but the German still lost to Jannik Sinner
Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev (Image: Getty Images)
Alexander Zverev has been informed that he may need a suspension and an injury to break his tennis Grand Slam duck.
The German recently reached the Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic withdrew from their semi-final match due to injury. Post-match, the Serbian legend expressed his support for Zverev in the final against defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic stated: “I wish Sascha (a shortened version of Alexander) all the best. You know, he deserves his first Slam. I’ll be cheering for him. Hopefully he can get it here.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion then took to social media to post: “Congratulations to @AlexZverev for making another GS final. I wish you to win the title because you deserve it, my friend.”
However, Zverev’s third Grand Slam final did not end in victory, as he was defeated in straight sets by the world No. 1. Djokovic’s faith in the 27-year-old, who has also made it to the finals of the French Open and U.S. Open, is not shared by former top-10 player Arnaud Clement.
The ex-France Davis Cup captain does not foresee Zverev winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open, which begins in May, unless Sinner faces a doping suspension and Carlos Alcaraz gets injured. “I’m sorry to be strict, but I don’t think he has much chance of winning a major title anytime soon,” said Clement, 47, via Tennisuptodate. “If there are no further improvements in his game between now and Roland Garros, he will hardly be able to win.
“If Sinner is suspended due to the doping case and Carlitos Alcaraz is injured, maybe Sascha will have a chance. However, if these two players are in good shape, the German has no chance of defeating them.”
Alexander Zverev lost the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner (Image: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Sinner, after securing his third consecutive hard-court Grand Slam title with a victory in Melbourne, is facing a major challenge with a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing looming, which could result in a ban from tennis following two positive doping tests last year. Despite being cleared initially, WADA has appealed the decision.
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