PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev has lost three Grand Slam finals but would never swap a victory in one of those for the Olympic gold medal he owns.
The big-serving German won the men’s singles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to go with the 24 titles he’s won on the ATP tour. After reaching the French Open semifinals on Tuesday, beating Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3, Zverev was asked if he would ever trade his gold for an elusive major if he could do so.
“No chance. The gold medal for me is the most difficult thing to win, because you get a chance once every four years,” Zverev said. “You do it for your country. You do it for the people back home. I will never trade my gold medal for anything, but I wouldn’t mind to add a few things to my list as well.”
Like a major title, for example.
He has never won one despite reaching three finals — leading in two — and getting to at least two semifinals at every Grand Slam except Wimbledon, where he has not been past the fourth round.
The most notable loss at a championship decider was the first, when he wasted a two-set lead in the 2020 US Open final against Austrian Dominic Thiem. Defeat was even more galling because Thiem became the first man in 71 years to win that tournament after dropping the opening two sets.
Then, Zverev led 2-1 in sets against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open final, and lost that one, too. He was resoundingly beaten in straight sets by Italian Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.
But with Alcaraz missing the French Open because of a wrist injury and Sinner eliminated in the second round followed by Novak Djokovic in the third round, the second-seeded Zverev’s chances have greatly improved at Roland Garros.
“I feel like the draw opened up a lot on the top half,” the 29-year-old Zverev said. “Of course, with Joao Fonseca beating Djokovic, it’s a big match that opened up the draw.”
Zverev’s semifinal opponent will be 20-year-old Jakub Mensik, who beat the 19-year-old Brazilian Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
The 26th-seeded Mensik, of the Czech Republic, reached the fourth round of the Australian Open this year and won a Masters title last year when he upset Djokovic in the Miami Open final.
“We have fantastic players that are young on the tour right now; we have a lot of potential,” Zverev said. “I have to trust myself, trust my game.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
