Zverev reveals Jannik Sinner’s message, then challenges him

In an interview with Eurosport Germany, Alexander Zverev described the thrill of winning a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career: “I haven’t had a single free moment since the victory. I still haven’t had time to truly process everything that’s happened. I’d love to watch the match again, especially the final moments, and let all the emotions settle a bit. I’ll definitely have to do that in the coming days.”

“I have 2,000 unread messages; I’ve been spending the last three days on my phone trying to reply to everyone.” He has already replied to some, however: Zverev revealed that his most prestigious colleagues and former colleagues have sent him congratulatory messages, including Sinner. “Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Rafa Nadal have all done so,” he revealed.

“I’ve also been contacted by athletes from other sports, like Thomas Müller, Mats Hummels, and Joshua Kimmich. Dirk Nowitzki watched the match and even sent me messages during the match. All of this really meant a lot to me.”

And now Zverev has set his sights on another goal he hasn’t yet achieved—one he’ll have to snatch right from the South Tyrolean tennis player: becoming world number one. “I still have one goal I haven’t achieved: becoming world number one. In the end, it was the best week of my life, but I felt enormous pressure.”

In a recent interview with the ATP’s official website, Zverev spoke openly about Sinner, acknowledging in no uncertain terms the South Tyrolean’s superiority. “Luckily, I didn’t play against him in Paris. It’s not that I don’t want to challenge him; on the contrary, I hope to face him soon in the future, maybe even at Wimbledon. But throughout the year, I’ve had good feelings and played well against everyone except Jannik.”