It all adds up for Zverev: The player who knows him best, chasing a Slam & more

Alexander Zverev has long thrived at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he has earned two of his seven ATP Masters 1000 titles. 

The German is pursuing another crown this week at the Caja Magica, where he is the top seed.

ATPTour.com caught up with Zverev to learn how it all adds up for the two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion. The No. 2 played in the PIF ATP Rankings discussed his favourite Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries, why Madrid is his favourite tournament to play, which player knows him best and more.

What is your favourite tournament to play and why?
The most special tournament is to play the [Nitto ATP] Finals, because you know that you qualify for it as one of the best eight players in the world, so that's very special always. But my favourite tournament to play is probably in Madrid. Most successful tournament for me. Love the stadium, love the atmosphere. Really like playing there.

What is your favourite tennis rivalry?
All time, I like the Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi rivalry. Loved it as a kid. Obviously loved the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic rivalry, those three all together. I've really enjoyed the Tsitsipas-Medvedev rivalry. Now, Sinner-Alcaraz. There are always new ones coming along, but there's always some interesting ones.

Who's your greatest rival?
I played Medvedev the most. I don't necessarily think we played the biggest matches [with] each other in our careers, not the most important matches. I think the most important matches in my career [I] have played against Novak, Carlos, Jannik. But me and Medvedev, we played the most against each other.

Is it almost weird when you know somebody so well and know what they’re going to do?
The person I know the best and the person that knows me the best is Andrey Rublev, because we've been playing each other since we were 10 years old. And it's funny, when we play each other, he knows where I'm going to serve. I know where he's going to hit his forehand. So, it's basically like ping pong tennis, in a way, sometimes.

But it's different when you're playing someone for the first time, you're trying to get a feel for each other. When you're playing somebody for 15 years, you kind of know every single shot they're going to do. So, it's definitely different. It's definitely a part of our sport and that's the interesting part about tennis.

What has a unique moment of your career been? Just a moment that stands out when you think about your career.
There's been a few. It's very tough to pick. First ATP title, I will always remember in St. Petersburg, it was against Stan. He [had] just won the US Open a few weeks before that. First Masters [1000] title in Rome. First [Nitto ATP] Finals title. The [Olympic] gold medal. It's difficult to pick, but I think the most special one so far is Tokyo. But I hope I'll make some more memories during my career.

What is the biggest thing you've been chasing?
Win a Grand Slam. That’s the most obvious answer for me right now.

How exciting is the chase?
I would love to stop chasing, get one rather sooner than later. It is just the way my path has been. Been in a few finals already, lost some tough battles. But I'm still here and I'm still going to go  [for it]. 

Is there anything you've gotten to do because you're a tennis player that's been a super cool thing off the court?
I think if you're a top tennis player, top athlete in general, we do get maybe a few more privileges than someone else. We get invited to some courtsides at games. I [have] played an exhibition match in some of the best stadiums around the world, played football in the Bayern Munich arena. So those things, they're special and I know that I only get them through tennis.