Alexander Zverev joins the ‘smart’ movement, aiming to mirror Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

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Alexander Zverev has opened his clay season with back-to-back semi-final appearances, but there’s a sense that he still hasn’t hit top form.

He hasn’t reached a final in 2026 yet and doesn’t look like a serious threat for titles at the moment.

Zverev has all the physical tools and technical skills needed to compete for major honours, yet he remains largely uncompetitive when it comes to challenging Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Zverev isn’t the only player trying to close the gap on Alcaraz and Sinner. Daniil Medvedev has recently teamed up with Lorenzo Musetti in an attempt to better prepare for them.

Even Rafael Nadal admitted before his exit from Madrid that it would take more than just one tournament win to catch up with their level of play.

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Alexander Zverev responds following semi-final defeat in Munich

Speaking to the media after his loss, Zverev tried to explain why the match ended up so one-sided. Zverev had been comfortably beaten by a player who was yet to claim a top-ten win in his career, discounting retirements.

Zverev put much of it down to fatigue, explaining: “Yes, but I must also say, my legs were no longer there. I have played a lot of tennis; fortunately for me, I have played good tennis. Yesterday, also again today, I had a very difficult match. Today, if you are then 10/20% slower and he plays well, the match gets difficult.”

The German feels that some time off will help him reset before heading into Madrid: “I think a few days off would also be really helpful. I have them now. I have six days until my next match. That’s more than I’ve had in the last few months. That’s why I think this has already been helpful, to use them wisely, and then hopefully in Madrid I’ll be fresher.