Another season is coming to an end, but Alexander Zverev’s quest for a Grand Slam is yet to conclude. Despite being within arm’s reach at the French Open, the German star lost the battle to the young Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz. Marking another disappointment-filled final for him. However, everything has its positives. And it seems, for Zverev, the silver lining came in the form of improvements in his game. Courtesy of the top players of the season: Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

As Alexander Zverev eyes his 2nd title of the season at the Paris Masters, tennis enthusiasts observed an unusual trend after matches. The German Star heads to the tennis court instead of resting and recovering for the next day. As everyone raised their eyebrows in curiosity, the interviewer decided to address it during the post-match conference after his semifinal win against Holger Rune. They asked, “Just out of curiosity, after the match, you always go to practice. You are not tired enough?”

Zverev smiled at the repeated question, before reminding that he had answered it during the previous press conference. Nonetheless, the German again opened up about the motivation behind his new work regime: “For me, it’s about improving a few things. I feel like, you know, Jannik and Carlos, you know, they are doing a few things better than me at the moment. I want to improve.” Rightly so, the youngsters are running at the forefront.

In the 2024 season itself, Zverev lost 2 of the 3 clashes to Alcaraz. One at the French Open final, and the other at the Indian Wells quarterfinal. However, the overall H2H record between the two players is even at 5-5. But Alcaraz already has 4 Grand Slam in his kit, while Zverev is still looking for one. Against the world No. 1, the German lost his only clash this season at Cincinnati semifinals. It’s evident why Zverev is picking up on extra practice to improve a few aspects. He has 2 big targets to come over and to win a Grand Slam.

Further elaborating on his gameplay and improvement goals, he said, “I want to improve not for tomorrow, not for today or, you know, because of the matches I played here. I want to generally improve for next year as well. That’s the reason I do take this as a lot of practice here this week, and I want to improve my game for next year, as well.” This humble admission comes after the German shook the PIF ATP Live rankings.

Alexander Zverev downplays the gain in rankings as Alcaraz and Sinner “are still the two best players in the world”

Every small step towards the destination is a moment for celebration. However, one cannot say the same for Alexander Zverev. Despite claiming the Italian Open this season, and making it to the finals of the Paris Masters, the German star didn’t seem pleased as he replaced Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings. In the current order, Sinner is at the top, with Zverev at No.2 and Alcaraz at No.3.

Zverev’s victory over Rune brought his win tally to 65 for the year, tying Sinner for the most wins on the ATP Tour in 2024, as per the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. During an interview, when asked about overtaking Alcaraz and climbing to the No. 2 spot, he shared,

“It’s nice to be back at the highest position that I have been so far. Of course, I want to get higher. But for me, Jannik has [had] the best year this season, and Carlos had the second-best year. He won two Grand Slams..I know that I’m ahead of him in the rankings, but he won Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Those are two massive titles. So, they are still the two best players in the world, in my opinion, at the moment.”

Maybe the new training regime would get Alexander Zverev back at the top and open his Grand Slam account. However, that is for the next season, as he still has the Paris Master title to claim!