Alexander Zverev news: Mats Wilander says German doesn’t have some qualities as Big Three

Ayanda Frances Felem
January 27, 2022

Mats Wilander has assessed Alexander Zverev’s potential, saying he cannot be compared to the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Zverev’s wait for a maiden Grand Slam title continues after he was upset by Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.

Last year the 24-year-old shocked the world when he stated that he wants to be key part of the new Big Three to take over the tennis world during the 2022 season – with the next gen players supposedly ready to replace Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at the top.

But the German’s hopes of establishing himself as one of the players to beat suffered a big blow when he crashed out in the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

Wilander believes Zverev is not there yet.

“I still don’t see in Alexander Zverev the qualities that I saw in time with him in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic,” Wilander told Eurosport.

“Sascha is not as dominant as they are and I think it is an emotional issue. We saw it very well against Denis Shapovalov, we have to be honest. The Big Three have set the bar so high that you have to be patient with young people.”

Zverev came close to winning the US Open in 2019 when he suffered a five-set defeat at the hands of Dominic Thiem at Flushing Meadows and Wilander feels the German will eventually lift one of the biggest trophies in the sport.

The Swede added: “I am still convinced that Zverev will win a Grand Slam this year. I hope it was just a bad day and that he understands why. In the next few years, there will be seven, eight, nine or ten players who will share the most important titles.”

“Sascha is certainly one of them, without forgetting Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Dominic Thiem, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Carlos Alcaraz and Matteo Berrettini.”

Alexander Zverev Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal Roger Federer