ATP Tour

Zverev on Sinner: 'He's still the best player in the world'

Alexander Zverev came up short in his bid for a maiden Wimbledon title Sunday, when he fell to Jannik Sinner in the championship match. The German, however, was gracious in defeat, admitting he had simply lost to the "best player in the world".

“He's [Sinner] still the best player in the world, I do believe that,” Zverev added. “I believe there are probably three guys who can challenge him. All of us have to be working for that goal. I'll continue working for that goal.

“I think I've challenged him today. Not enough, because I still sit having lost the match. I will continue doing that. The big tournaments are still around the corner.”

It was another setback for Zverev against the Italian, who has now beaten the German 10 times in a row. But the 29-year-old was encouraged by the level he produced on Centre Court.

“I felt like we were playing on a very, very similar level, which is extremely high,” he shared. “I think both of us were playing at an extremely high level the first two sets.

“I missed an unfortunate forehand to start the second-set tiebreak. That kind of changed the momentum a little bit. Overall, I thought that the level was very good.”

Zverev’s first Wimbledon final appearance came just a month after he lifted his long-awaited first Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros. The victory marked a major milestone for the 29-year-old, who has now reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals. More importantly, it reinforced that he has established himself as the biggest threat to Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the sport's dominant duo in recent years.

For much of the past two seasons, Sinner and Alcaraz have controlled the biggest tournaments. While Zverev is still searching for a breakthrough win against either, he has shown he can push both to the limit, having pushed Alcaraz to five sets in the Australian Open semi-finals in January before stretching Sinner to four sets in Sunday's Wimbledon final.

“I hope [I can continue], that's what I'm here to do,” Zverev said. “This year, [there] has been progress. I think I've been pushing those guys. I haven't beaten them this year, but I've pushed them to the limits, I would say. Alcaraz in Australia, Jannik [maybe] here. Even though it was four sets, I think it was a very close four sets, which could have gone five as well.

“I think that's the goal. That's what I'm working on my game for… [For the last couple of years] I've always been number three in a way. So if I get closer to them, if I can be in the mix, competing and winning the big tournaments alongside them, it would be great.”

Zverev believes his new, more aggressive style of play has helped him take another step forward this season. Following his run to the Wimbledon final, the German will overtake Alcaraz as the new World No. 2, adding to a year that has also included semi-final runs at four of the five ATP Masters 1000 events.

Although Sunday's defeat is not what Zverev wanted, he believes he is moving in the right direction.

“That's the tennis I want to play, that's the game style I want to play,” Zverev said. “There were matches in the beginning of the year where I was struggling a bit more with this style, but I was consistently doing it.

“The more I do it, the better I'll become. I won a Grand Slam title for the first time in my career in Paris. I made it to the finals here for the first time in my career. Something has to be working. It is not perfect yet, but I think we're going towards the right direction with it.”