Alexander Zverev explains the reason he’s never performed very well on grass
After finally ending his Grand Slam drought, Alexander Zverev will be hoping to change another record as he heads to the grass court swing.
Zverev is set to play the Halle Open and Wimbledon the grass, but he arrives on the surface having never won an ATP-level title.
The German has reached three grass court finals, twice at Halle and once at the Stuttgart Open, but he’s never managed to lift a trophy on the surface.
Furthermore, Zverev has never showcased his best tennis at Wimbledon. The star has only ever reached as far as the fourth round, which he has done on three occasions.
Grass is a notoriously tricky surface and several of the ATP Tour top stars struggle to adapt following an intensive clay court swing.
Zverev, however, believes he knows the reason for his struggles on the surface.
More Alexander Zverev news
Mats Wilander ‘stands by’ Alexander Zverev ‘Big 3’ claim as he warns Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz
Alexander Zverev suggests when he plans to retire from tennis now he’s won a Grand Slam
In an interview with Sky Sports Germany, Zverev said: “There is a misconception about grass court tennis. People think it’s about playing aggressively, but that’s not the decisive factor. The key to playing well on grass is the ability to move agilely on the surface.
“And for me, standing at two meters and weighing 95 kilograms, that’s difficult. I played incredibly well on grass in 2024. I said then that I felt better than ever. And what happened? I slipped and fractured a knee bone. That’s the kind of thing that can only happen on grass.”
Zverev believes it is not the pace of the grass courts that is letting him down, as he has previously showcased he can win big on speedy courts.
“I can play perfectly on fast surfaces. I won Paris-Bercy two years ago,” he said. “That was probably the fastest hard court in the last ten years.I won Cincinnati, which is one of the fastest hard courts in the world.
“I won the Olympics, and that court was also extremely fast. The speed of the surface benefits me. The problem is the movement. That’s my only issue and I have to learn to deal with it.”
Nevertheless, Zverev will arrive at Wimbledon with a sketchy record that is absolutely his worst-performing Grand Slam statistically.
The German will arrive at Wimbledon having been knocked out of the first round last year, in a five set battle with Arthur Rinderknech.
He has won 16 matches and lost nine in his nine appearances at Wimbledon, which equates 64% win rate. That is considerably lower than what he has managed at Roland Garros, the Australian Open, and the US Open.
