ATP Tour

Landaluce carefree and ready to spring surprise on No. 1-bound Zverev

Martin Landaluce is becoming increasingly accustomed to sharing the stage with some of the biggest names on the ATP Tour.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard has enjoyed a breakout 2026, during which he has notched 13 tour-level match wins and reached ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals in Miami and Rome. At the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Landaluce now has the chance to add a first Top-10 win to his season’s achievements when he takes on Alexander Zverev in a first-round showdown.

“I’m really happy,” Landaluce told ATPTour.com on his challenging draw in the Austrian capital. “I’ve never played him before. I think it’s a big match and I love to play big matches in big stadiums. Of course it is going to be a big battle, but I believe in myself.

“I think I can have opportunities. In every match there are opportunities so I’m going to go for them, try to play my best tennis, and enjoy the match against a big crowd supporting him, I think.”

Landaluce, who reached his career high of No. 55 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June, acknowledged he will go into his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Zverev as the underdog. Yet he is certainly going to step out believing he can complete a milestone victory after falling short in his three previous matches against Top-10 opponents: against Lorenzo Musetti in Barcelona, Daniil Medvedev in Rome, and Taylor Fritz in Stuttgart.

“I think I’ve played good matches against Top-20 and Top-10 players,” the 20-year-old said. “I had a lot of opportunities with Medvedev and Fritz. I was a break up against both. I just try to play my best level. I like to play against good rivals. I think the level on the Tour is really high, so every match is a big one and I don’t feel a big difference [between them].

“Of course, [the top players] play a little bit better at the important moments and that is where I want to improve, but above all the level is quite similar, I think. Of course, he is [nearly] No. 1 in the world and doing an incredible job this year, his best year. So of course he will be confident, but I don’t care and I think I can do well. I will try my best, and if not, I get experience.”

Landaluce may never have faced Zverev in a competitive match, but he knows more than enough about the German to understand the scale of his task on his Vienna debut. The pair trained together in Spain last year, while the #NextGenATP star also believes his opponent’s relatively higher profile could give him an advantage heading into the match.

“I practised with him in Mallorca, when he came to the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2025,” Landaluce recalled. “I’ve seen him [play] many times. Of course, I’ve seen him [play] more than he has seen me, so that is one point for me! I think we know how to play him. My game is trying to be really aggressive and go for the winners. I’ve seen him many times, and I know quite well how he plays and how to play him.”

If Landaluce can upset the 2021 champion Zverev in Vienna, it will also count as his first tour-level victory indoors, at the sixth attempt. Although he is yet to register a win indoors at the highest level, he still has plenty of experience competing under a roof at ATP Challenger level, as well as from his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah last December.

“I haven’t played a lot, but I won Orleans last year indoors,” the Spaniard said. “I’ve had some good results indoors these past years. I haven’t played a lot, but I enjoy playing inside. With the crowd I feel like it is really heavy when they clap or support, so it is really fun. I think my game suits it really well, because it goes fast. I think it’s good to play with no wind, no sun, same conditions the whole match, all the time. I think I can do well in the future.”

Currently third in the PIF ATP live Race To Reggio Calabria, Landaluce is set to qualify for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. Also a multiple-time qualifier for the PIF ATP Next Gen Accelerator, which provides additional playing opportunities for players across junior, college or traditional pathways, the Spaniard is aiming to finish his season in style.

“Even more than having [the Next Gen ATP Finals] is having the help they are giving to us, PIF, throughout these years,” Landaluce said. “I started in 2023 and since then they’ve given me a lot of opportunities with wild cards in Challengers. I did my best tournaments thanks to those wild cards, so it was really helpful.

“And of course, playing Jeddah last year. The one before I was an alternate, so I also experienced it. It’s really nice to feel that important, because you are growing at 18. 19, 20, but you feel important for one week. I think it is really cool for us young players. I think many of those who played Jeddah last year did really well this year, because you enter the year with confidence, feeling really good after playing against the best young guys.”