Alexander Zverev, currently ranked world number two, expressed confidence in his ability to secure his first Grand Slam title. However, he acknowledged Jannik Sinner as the strong favorite to defend his Australian Open championship.
Zverev's recent victories at the Rome and Paris Masters 1000 tournaments have boosted his confidence going into the first major tournament of the year.
His impressive performance last season, where he won more matches than any other player except Sinner, propelled him to his highest career ranking.
Despite his success, a Grand Slam title has eluded Zverev for nearly a decade. His closest attempts were runner-up finishes at the 2020 US Open and the 2021 French Open.
“Look, I think everybody knows what I'm chasing. Everybody knows what my goal and my dreams are, right? It's to win.”
“Going into a Grand Slam as the world number two, you have to have the mindset of: I want to win the tournament.”
“That's how my mindset is.”
Zverev's Australian Open campaign begins on Sunday against French wildcard entrant Lucas Pouille. A challenging path lies ahead if he aims to win the title.
A potential quarter-final clash with sixth-ranked Casper Ruud is on the cards, followed by a possible semi-final encounter with either ten-time champion Novak Djokovic or third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Awaiting in the final could be Sinner.
Zverev identified his main rivals for the title. He mentioned familiar names such as Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, and Medvedev, the latter having previously won the tournament.
“I think the usual names. Jannik, Alcaraz, Novak for sure is part of that list. Daniil (Medvedev), because he's done it before.”
However, Zverev emphasized Sinner as the clear favorite for the championship. He highlighted Sinner’s significant lead in the rankings.
“But I think the biggest favourite is still Jannik, who is very far up that list. He's still number one by a big margin.”
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