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Alexander Zverev will head into tomorrow’s Madrid Open final as a huge underdog, given who he is against.
Jannik Sinner has been in top form lately, especially in Masters 1000 tournaments.
His win yesterday over Arthur Fils marked a 27th consecutive one at this level, having won all of the last four tournaments of this stature. It’s hard to bet against him adding to his hot streak in Madrid tomorrow.
Still, Zverev says he feels ready. Speaking ahead of the match, he acknowledged how tough the challenge would be but didn’t seem fazed by it.
Alexander Zverev looks ahead to Madrid Open final against Jannik Sinner
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Speaking to Tennis Channel while still on court, the 29-year-old started by reflecting on his performance against Blockx.
“Possibly,” he replied when asked if it had been his best match of the week so far.
He went on to say: “I think against Flavio I also played a fantastic first set, and, you know, in the second set it was a bit worse, but generally, I’m feeling well.
“I look forward to the final. I think it’s going to be a very tough match, but, yeah, he’s been playing amazing tennis. I think it’s not going to be the last time that we’re going to see him in the semi-final of a Masters. So he has a great career ahead of him.”
Looking ahead to his meeting with Sinner in Madrid, he added: “Well, I don’t know [if the conditions favour him]. It seems like he’s been winning everywhere, so I don’t know if that makes any difference. But I will definitely go out there and try my absolute best.
“I feel like I’m playing a bit better than I was in Monaco, so I’m definitely going to give myself some chances and yeah. Look, to win the biggest tournaments in the world you’ve got to beat the best – and Jannik is the best right now.”
Zverev and Sinner have matched an achievement previously reached only by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And whenever Carlos Alcaraz isn’t involved at these events lately (he missed both Miami and Madrid), Zverev and Sinner are almost always part of the conversation.
Alexander Zverev faces familiar challenge in Jannik Sinner final
It’s worth noting that while the sample size is small, Zverev has never beaten Sinner in a final, having faced him twice before at this stage.
The first came at last year’s Australian Open, where the Italian won emphatically to secure his maiden Grand Slam title.
Then later that year, Zverev got closer in Vienna. Even so, after taking the first set, it was still Sinner who went on to win the match.
Even beyond finals, their record in high-pressure matches doesn’t favour Zverev. He has just one win in six semi-final meetings against Sinner, and that came back in 2020.
Sinner holds a 7-4 advantage over Zverev on clay and leads 9-3 on hard courts. Their only meeting on grass went to Zverev back in 2020.
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