Alexander Zverev says tennis got quicker and is more physical than during Big Three era
Alexander Zverev has brushed off suggestions that tennis is worse now than during the Big Three era, saying the sport “got better” as it is faster and more physical.
The German made his breakthrough when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were at their peaks with the trio dominating the Grand Slams as they went on to share 66 majors between them.
When they were at their best, only Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic managed to win majors but the door start to open for others from 2022 onwards with Federer retiring that year while Nadal won his last major that year before he also called it a day in 2024.
However, that open door appears to have been shut pretty quickly with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now the men taking charge at the Grand Slams as they have won four of the big ones each in the past two years.
World No 3 Zverev, the last player not named Alcaraz or Sinner to appear in a major final as he finished runner-up to the latter at the 2025 Australian Open, was asked about how tough it was to make a Grand Slam final during the Big Three’s dominance compared to now.
“It’s a complicated question because back then the Slams were kind of set. [In] Australia, Novak was winning, Roladn Garros was kind of Rafa’s Slam to lose, and Wimbledon was always between Roger and Novak,” the reigning world No said.
“There were maybe not as many openings, but that does not mean that tennis is worse now. I think tennis got better, tennis got quicker, tennis got faster, tennis got more physical.
“I think the players were kind of thinking that way that the first three Slams of the year were kind of set and the only one to play for was kind of the US Open, maybe a little bit.
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“But at the same time, the last two years, all four majors were going to Sinner and Alcaraz all the time. Maybe it changes this year, of course I am hoping it changes this year.
“But it is just different to compare and to think about. I talked about it a lot last year, I think the surfaces got much more similar to each other where anyone can beat anyone on every surface, while back then it wasn’t the case.
“I don’t know, we’ll see how the next few years play out. The last two years showed us that Jannik and Carlos are dominating, but maybe it’s going to change.”
