Alexander Zverev beat Nicolas Jarry on Sunday to win his biggest title since getting injured in 2022. This was Zverev’s second Rome title, which makes him only the third male player to win multiple Rome titles in this century after Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
It was one of the best serving performances on clay, as Zverev made 80% of first serves and lost only two points behind it. For a set and a half, that was a Slam-winning level from him. Jarry did well to hold as many times as he did, as Zverev barely gave him any unforced errors from the baseline. Overall, it was a great tournament for the Chilean, and there is a lot to be proud of. Jarry will reach a career-high ranking of 17 on Monday.
With this win, Zverev is guaranteed the No. 4 seed at Roland Garros over Daniil Medvedev, which is crucial as he avoids the top three players until the semifinals. The German will be one of the favourites to win Roland Garros. He has reached the semifinals in the last three editions, and this time, if he manages to be there, he will be extra motivated to reach the finals.
Is Alexander Zverev The Greatest Player Without A Slam?
Zverev is one of the fittest players on tour despite suffering from type 1 diabetes. He rarely loses a match because he is exhausted. In terms of endurance, he can play for hours without physical limitations. His mentality is a completely different story, though. He has a strong mental fortitude when it requires digging in and not giving up.
On the other hand, when he is close to victory or is leading, he typically gets very tight. Zverev has huge problems when he needs to close out big matches. During those tight moments, he often plays too passively and lacks the killer instinct required to close out a tough match. The 2024 Australian Open and 2020 US Open are great examples. Despite all this, he has achieved everything except a Grand Slam.
Alexander Zverev has won 22 titles, including six Masters and two ATP tour finals. He has also won an Olympic gold and reached the finals of a Grand Slam in 2020. Zverev has reached the semifinals of all the Slams bar Wimbledon. With his current numbers, he makes a great case for himself.
The German is arguably the second-best big man regarding footwork/movement after Medvedev. He has one of the best backhands and serves on tour. If you consider achievements outside of Slams, then Zverev is indeed the greatest candidate. His Grand Slam results are not the best, as he has never beaten an all-time great in one of the four Slams. He has defeated Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but they have a long way to go to cement themselves as ATGs. However, Zverev has time on his hands, and as long as he doesn’t win a Slam, he will keep adding to his case as the best player without one.
The Other Contenders
David Ferrer is certainly up there. The Spaniard won 27 titles and had 700-plus ATP tour wins, which is insane. We might not see another player with 700 tour wins for some time. Ferrer’s greatest strength was consistency and an amazing overall level, but he did not have that extra gear. You just could not see him win a big match in a Slam final against the Big 3. It’s hard to even imagine him being in a winning position. On the other hand, you can see a peaking Zverev or Nalbandian give the Big 3 a run for their money, even in a slam final. Ferrer was a great player but as good as he was, his top gear or ceiling was simply not as high.
There is a reason why Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro, for instance, have slams and Ferrer does not. There is a difference in peak level between Ferrer and those two. Cilic peaked against Federer on multiple occasions, and del Potro peaked against Federer and Nadal to win his slam. They made more slam finals for the same reason.
However, Ferrer, in 2020 and later era, would probably win a Slam when he did not need to beat at least two of the greatest players of all time. He never had the luxury of having the opportunity to win a slam without the Big 4. The best players of today are much more prone to having bad days. The big 4 were so good that they were still better than most on their bad days.
David Nalbandian was crazy good at his peak but lacked consistency, and his peak was for a very short time; thus, his overall results are nowhere as impressive. Nikolay Davydenko was consistent and won 21 titles but never made a Slam final, which hinders his case. Robin Soderling was great but only won 10 titles and played for just 10 years because of a long-running illness.
Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have a case, too. They are both amazing players and very likely slam winners without the Big 4 around. Berdych made the semifinals, and Tsonga made at least the quarterfinals of all the Slams. Tsonga had multiple wins over the Big 3 in Grand Slams, while Berdych beat Federer and Djokovic in Wimbledon 2010, only to lose to Nadal in the final. They had to beat at least two of the greatest players to win a Slam.
It would be unfair not to include Marcelo Rios, the only male player to have been world No.1 without winning a slam in his career. The Chilean made the final of the Australian Open in 1998 and won five Masters titles. But Rios never managed to beat the best players of his generation multiple times in Slams. His slam results were not that good outside of the one final, and he arguably underachieved, given his talent.
As we approach the 2024 French Open, will a current player without a slam title raise the trophy? Zverev has the best chance, but Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be hanging around.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
