Germany’s Alexander Zverev says he has a high amount of respect for rival Jannik Sinner but warns he still has a long way to go if he wishes to reach the pinnacle of the world rankings.
Zverev, who is still only 24 himself, says he has been impressed by Sinner’s rapid rise in recent months which has enabled him to break into the world’s top 20 for the first time last Monday. The 19-year-old has won two ATP titles already and reached the final of the Miami Open earlier this month. Becoming the youngest player to reach a Masters 1000 final since Rafael Nadal back in 2005.
Sinner is now labelled as the next big thing in the sport with high expectations from some. Something former junior world No.1 Zverev knows all too well. The German won three Masters titles by the age of 21 and has been ranked as high as third in the world. Last year he achieved his best Grand Slam run by reaching the final of the US Open.
“He is now in a phase where I was 19 or 20 years old. You just play tennis with no pressure and no specific tasks. That’s the best feeling,” the world No.6 told bild.de.
“If he does that well, he will quickly climb the world rankings and get into the top 10. He is very talented and developing rapidly. Whenever I see him, I think he’s grown half a head again.”
In his latest tournament at the Barcelona Open Sinner recorded his fourth win over a top 10 player after upsetting the in-form Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. He lost in the next round to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Given the rise of the youngster, does he have what it takes to rise to No.1 in the future? Zverev believes it is a possibility but warns that it is by no means a guarantee.
“He has the potential, but there is a long way to go,” he said. “He’ll lose a few matches that he shouldn’t lose, but he’ll get through that, that’s normal and part of it. It was the same for me in 2019. In general, the best players all had such a phase. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Zverev will return to action next week at the BMW Open in Munich which he has won on two previous occasions. Although he has been hindered by an elbow injury and spoke openly about it following his loss to David Goffin in Monte Carlo.
“That would be too complicated to explain now,” he replied when Bild asked him to explain his injury.
“There is something on the bone that doesn’t feel so nice. I have many methods of treating this: shock wave therapy, injections and lots of time.”
Zverev will be the top seed in Munich. He is seeking his second title of the season after Acapulco.
