Alexander Zverev

The résumé reads like a champion's, save for one line. Alexander Zverev — born in Hamburg in 1997 to a tennis family, son of a Soviet-era pro and younger brother of tour veteran Mischa — turned pro in 2013 and climbed fast. A former junior world No. 1, he took the 2014 Australian Open boys' title, won a Challenger crown at 17, and was inside the top 10 before turning 21. In June 2022 he peaked at world No. 2.

At 1.98m, Zverev is the modern template: a giant who covers the court like a man half a foot shorter. The first serve is the headline weapon — big, flat, reliable in the clutch — but the engine is the two-handed backhand, struck flatter and earlier than almost anyone his size has any right to. The questions live on the second serve and the forehand under pressure, the shots that have tightened in his biggest moments.

The trophy cabinet is heavy outside the majors: multiple Masters 1000 titles, the 2018 ATP Finals (beating Federer and Djokovic back-to-back), and Olympic singles gold in Tokyo 2021. The slam ledger is the open wound — three finals, three defeats, including a five-set US Open loss to Daniil Medvedev and a Roland-Garros final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. The gap to Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz at the very top is the storyline that frames every deep run.

Now ranked No. 3, Zverev enters the heart of the 2026 clay swing — Roland-Garros and the Italian Open among them — as the most accomplished active player still chasing a first major. The serve and the legs remain elite; the only number that matters is still zero.