Unfulfilled talent Zverev on brink of Grand Slam breakthrough

MELBOURNE: 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.

The 6ft 6ins (1.98m) 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.

“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.

“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.

The court case was dropped last year after a settlement was agreed hours before he was due to play in the French Open semi-finals.

He strenuously denied the allegations.

Known by his nickname “Sascha”, Zverev´s greatest achievement so far was winning gold at the Covid-hit Tokyo Olympics.

It was the first time a German had clinched the men´s singles title, stunning heavy favourite Novak Djokovic before taking down Karen Khachanov in the final.

“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.

Zverev, who idolised Roger Federer growing up, made his first Grand Slam final in 2020 at the US Open, agonisingly 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.”

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. An avid football and basketball fan, his older brother Mischa also played on the ATP Tour.