Andy Roddick reveals how ‘phenomenal’ Alexander Zverev can adjust game in Grand Slam quest
Former world No 1 Andy Roddick has revealed the “adjustment” he would like to see Alexander Zverev make, as the German continues his search for a Grand Slam title.
World No 3 Zverev has been a consistent force towards the top of men’s tennis for the best part of a decade, and is often considered to be one of the best — if not the best — male players to never lift a Grand Slam title.
The German was beaten by Dominic Thiem in the final of the 2020 US Open and then fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open final, before falling to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Zverev has won ATP Tour titles at every other level across his career, with an Olympic gold medal, two ATP Finals titles, and seven Masters 1000 victories sitting among his total of 24 career ATP titles.
The 28-year-old struggled at times throughout a challenging 2025 campaign, though still finished the year ranked third in the world — with only Alcaraz and Sinner ranked ahead of him.
Alcaraz and Sinner have won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them, and have proven close to impossible for Zverev and the rest of the ATP Tour to consistently challenge in recent months.
Zverev’s forehand is often considered a significant issue in his game, but Roddick believes there needs to be a different approach for the German to take.
Speaking on his Served podcast, the 2003 US Open champion claimed that Zverev needed to adjust his aggression to potentially challenge for an elusive major title.
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“It also sucks that his entire career is going to be defined by if he can beat those guys [Alcaraz and Sinner] twice in a row at a major, and win one,” said Roddick. “He is a phenomenal player. The career resume is amazing.
“If I had to come up with a way or an adjustment I’d like to see, most people are like: ‘step inside the court and flatten out your forehand.’ His technique doesn’t suggest that that’s an option.
“Like, I could step in and hit big forehands and then I would play Andre [Agassi] who could rush me to that side, and I was hitting off my back foot.
“His [Zverev’s] backhand is amazing. Crush and rush off the second serves, serve and volley a little bit more. Do these things where every point of aggression isn’t about picking out the right ball and doing something uncomfortable three or four shots into a rally.
“I think it’s about blunt force trauma type aggression where you’re choosing to do this and play this way from the first ball, and then all of a sudden it makes your stock game of wanting to drift back a little bit more effective. That’s what I think.”
Zverev is set to start his upcoming 2026 season representing Germany at the United Cup, alongside German WTA No 1 Eva Lys.
Germany plays their two round-robin ties in Sydney, with Zverev currently in line to play Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands and Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.
After the conclusion of the United Cup, the 28-year-old will then head to Melbourne for the Australian Open, the opening Grand Slam of the year.
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