Alexander Zverev is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world today. Currently ranked No. 2 in the ATP rankings, the German has yet to capture a Grand Slam title. Despite this, Zverev, who is widely regarded as one of the game’s top talents, weighed in on the debate of who is the greatest tennis player of all time.
The conversation is typically centered around the legendary “Big Three” of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. Zverev, however, has made it clear that he believes Novak Djokovic is the best of the bunch, attributing his choice to the Serbian’s consistency and his ability to improve year after year.
In 2021, after a semifinal loss to Djokovic at the U.S. Open, Zverev weighed in on a topic that continues to spark debate. The German predicted that, in the future, Djokovic would be the first name mentioned when talking about the players who dominated the sport in every aspect, surpassing Nadal and Federer.
“What Djokovic does for this sport is incredible. No one thought we’d see something like what Rod Laver did all those years ago,” Zverev said. “I think Novak is going to try to break every single record in tennis. If you look at his statistics and his playing style, he’s the best player of all time. There’s no one like him”.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia is embraced by Alexander Zverev of Germany after retiring from the 2025 Australian Open. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Zverev added, “He’s been the World No. 1 for the most weeks, he’s won every Masters 1000 event multiple times, and he’ll probably end up as the player with the most Grand Slams. How do you compete with that?”
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Zverev’s Grand Slam drought: A strange career paradox
At 27, Zverev has amassed 23 ATP titles and currently holds the No. 2 spot in the rankings behind Italy’s Jannik Sinner. Yet, remarkably, he has yet to claim a Grand Slam title.
His closest calls came in 2020, when he reached the final of the U.S. Open, only to fall short against Austria’s Dominic Thiem. Zverev also reached the final of the 2024 Roland Garros, where he was defeated by Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. Additionally, Zverev has made two semifinal appearances at the Australian Open and has never advanced past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Despite this, his success at other events has been undeniable. Zverev has six Masters 1000 titles to his name, including a victory over Roger Federer in the 2017 Canadian Open final, and he leads Federer 4-3 in their head-to-head meetings.
He has also beaten Djokovic twice in finals—at the 2017 Rome Masters and the 2018 ATP Finals. To top it off, Zverev won a gold medal in Tokyo 2020, defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov and becoming the first German player to win an Olympic tennis gold.
This strong record has led Zverev to become, officially, the best male tennis player in history without a Grand Slam title. No player has ever won 23 ATP titles and ranked No. 2 in the world twice without having claimed one of the sport’s major championships.
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Zverev reflects on the challenge of being No. 1 without a Grand Slam
Following his 2024 Paris Masters 1000 final victory over France’s Ugo Humbert, Zverev addressed the challenge of achieving No. 1 status in the current era without having a Grand Slam trophy.
“I think in today’s tennis, both go hand in hand. It’s very difficult to be No. 1 without winning a Grand Slam,” Zverev said. “I would’ve had the chance in 2022 if I hadn’t gotten injured. Also, Djokovic didn’t play many tournaments because he wasn’t vaccinated”.
“Rafa had a strong start to the year but got injured, and Medvedev also suffered an injury,” he continued. “It was a strange year. We weren’t able to play tournaments in top form. But now, everyone is playing with great strength and staying healthy. You have to win a Grand Slam to be No. 1”.
