Altmaier on Zverev: "He has the potential to win a Grand Slam, he's already shown it multiple times"

Adrien Guyot

le 26/03/2025 à 12h09

2 min to read

Altmaier Zverev

Currently ranked 82nd in the world, Daniel Altmaier has reached two quarterfinals on the main tour this season, in Marseille and Rotterdam. The German, who peaked at No. 47 in 2023, is best known for his one-handed backhand but also for his victory over Jannik Sinner in the second round of Roland Garros in 2023.

In an interview with Clay, the 26-year-old Altmaier spoke about his compatriot Alexander Zverev, the world No. 2 who has been struggling in recent weeks. The gold medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics has fallen short of winning a Grand Slam in recent months—twice at Roland Garros last year and at the Australian Open earlier this season—years after stumbling at the final hurdle at the 2020 US Open.

During Sinner's period of absence, Zverev had a chance to close in on the world No. 1 spot but suffered early exits in Indian Wells and Acapulco, also failing to reach the semifinals in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

"Sascha said it himself. When you're going through a rough patch and on a losing streak, you don’t have a clear short-term goal other than getting back to winning matches.

Right now, I really think that’s his mindset because he’s lost a lot of matches. In my opinion, he’s not thinking about reaching world No. 1 at the moment.

Of course, his long-term goal is to win a Grand Slam. He undoubtedly has the potential—he’s already proven it multiple times. Sascha and I get along well.

We’ve shared a Davis Cup team once, but most of the time, his schedule is different from mine, even though we often cross paths at big tournaments. We speak Russian to each other, so that’s something that brings us closer.

I hope we’ll get another chance to represent Germany together in the Davis Cup. I know we both share a common dream—to win it one day for our country (the Mannschaft hasn’t triumphed in the competition since 1993)," Altmaier said.