Serena Williams’ former long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou isn’t ruling out the possibility of Alexander Zverev still winning a Grand Slam but has highlighted to the 27-year-old that the competition is very strong and that his current game probably won’t be enough for him to achieve his biggest dream so he must work on improving and getting better.
Four years after failing to serve out for the title in the 2020 US Open final against Dominic Thiem and missing out on a golden chance to win his first Slam, the German made his second Major final at last year’s French Open. Although he competed well and was even up by two sets to one, he didn’t have enough to close out the final as Carlos Alcaraz came back to win 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-1.
At the start of this season, Zverev also reached his first Australian Open final. This time, he claimed to have felt better than ever before and “ready” to win a Grand Slam. But he didn’t come anywhere near winning the final since he got ousted in straight sets by Jannik Sinner at Melbourne Park.
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Mouratoglou – who now works with Naomi Osaka – was asked if he thought the 27-year-old would never win a Major.
“I think there are still things he needs to improve in his game. In today’s world, with the top players, not easy, but he can,” the French coach responded.
Zverev brutally honestly revealed his thoughts, feelings after the latest Slam final defeat
After Sinner handed him a 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3 loss in the Australian Open, the second-ranked German looked extremely dejected and heartbroken. When reflecting on the match, he admitted that the Italian “did everything better” than him.
Also, the three-time Grand Slam runner-up emotionally admitted he didn’t want to finish his career without a Major.
“I don’t want to end my career as the best player of all time to never win a Grand Slam, that’s for sure. I’ll keep doing everything I can to lift one of those trophies,” Zverev said in his post-Australian Open final presser.
Tennis World USA