Jimmy Connors assesses Alexander Zverev’s ‘last little push’ to win elusive Grand Slam
Tennis icon Jimmy Connors has claimed that Alexander Zverev must be willing to make a “last little push” if he wants to claim the Grand Slam title that has so far eluded him.
World No 3 Zverev has proven to be one of the leading players of his generation, with the 28-year-old winning 24 ATP Tour titles — the most of any player born in the 1990s.
The German is the winner of seven Masters 1000 titles, two ATP Finals titles, and is an Olympic champion, striking gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
However, despite his consistent success, a Grand Slam title has proven a step too far for Zverev to date, with the German tasting defeat in the final of three separate majors.
He famously held a two-set-to-love lead and served for the title before falling to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, and then fell in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open final.
Zverev then reached his first Australian Open final this January, though he was beaten in straight sets by Jannik Sinner, and proceeded to struggle at the majors across the rest of 2025.
After previously reaching four straight French Open semi-finals, he was beaten in the last eight by Novak Djokovic this June and was then stunned by Arthur Rinderknech in the opening round of Wimbledon, before a third-round loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime at the US Open.
The 28-year-old has been open about his mental health struggles in recent months and has been struggling with a back issue across the summer and autumn, with Zverev not at his best in recent months.
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However, he impressed at the Vienna Open last week, pushing Sinner to three sets in the final, and will likely still be ranked inside the world’s top five by the end of 2025.
Zverev is considered by many to be the best male player to have not lifted a Grand Slam title, having won significant titles at every other level on tour.
And, speaking on Advantage Connors this week, tennis great Connors — the winner of eight major singles titles — delivered his verdict on the German’s fortunes.
“He is ranked number three, he is in the top five, I’m sure he’s making a ton of dough,” said Connors.
“He has got 95% of everything he wants, but a Grand Slam. To make that last little push, he is going to have to really put his mind to it and sacrifice a little bit to push himself that little extra.
“I get it. It’s sometimes tough to do, when you look up and you are the third-best player in the world and you get all the accolades and people are following you on social media. But when you hang up the racket, you are going to look back and say: ‘I won a few tournaments, but I never won a Grand Slam.’
“I know he has beaten Alcaraz and Sinner, and you get to the point where it’s like, what’s it going to take for him to win a Grand Slam? The reason I like talking about him is that I think he can.
“I know he has won titles and makes a ton of money, and I’m sure that’s very satisfying, but when it comes to hanging up your racket, you are going to say: ‘I won x amount of dollars and x amount of tournaments, but I’m missing one thing. I’m missing a Grand Slam.'”
Zverev’s quest to win a first Grand Slam title will resume at the Australian Open next January, though he will still be aiming to finish his 2025 season strongly.
After reaching the final in Vienna, Zverev is through to the last eight of the Paris Masters and will look to continue his title defence against Daniil Medvedev on Friday night.
The German will then compete at the ATP Finals, having qualified for the year-end championships for the eighth time, before representing his nation at the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna.
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