The town does not trust Zverev

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I remember saying not too long ago, in some of our live broadcasts and analyses, a phrase that didn't quite sit well with many of my colleagues. "Alexander Zverev is one physical problem away from Jannik Sinner of being a Grand Slam champion". The gap between the German and the Italian, exemplified in their recent matches, especially in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open, is so immense that, despite his status as the second seed, his name was overlooked as direct competition. Medvedev, Fils, Ruud, even Jódar; all were ahead of the German in the favorites' rankings, as it seems that all of them have the fierceness and conviction to, at least, put the Italian in trouble.

Five days after the tournament began, the best wishes for Sascha's fans were fulfilled in the most unexpected way. The seismic movement came from the Chatrier, specifically from the heaviness in the legs of a Jannik Sinner in distress, unable to move the machinery, immersed in quicksand from which he could not escape. His fall resulted in an earthquake that took down Novak Djokovic, unable to shift into sixth gear against the speed of new machines from Brazil. With one out of commission, the GOAT out of commission, now, the favoritism to win Roland Garros 2026 completely shifted to Sascha's shoulders.

Can Zverev break a major mental barrier and win his first Grand Slam? The public doesn't seem sure

Zverev's 2026 has been characterized by consistency. Defeats against the heavyweights. Alcaraz in Australia. Sinner in Indian Wells. Sinner in Miami. Sinner in Monte Carlo. Sinner in Madrid... oh, no, the redhead is out of Paris. And then what? The table Zverev belongs to has been emptied, and the one a few meters ahead, with preferential access to the best dishes, as well. Will his hand tremble while the children skip recess and steal his food? Can he keep the puppies that come to the table without permission at bay?

Looking at social media and testing public opinion reveals a clear answer: no. The German's track record, with an almost chronic tendency to doubt himself in crucial moments, warrants it. Titles at the ATP Finals, past victories against the best, decades of consistency at the elite level, or an Olympic gold where, perhaps to date, he showed his best form; Grand Slams have always been a different beast, a monster that Zverev has not yet tamed with his trident.

It's not just the well-remembered US Open final against Dominic Thiem, which perhaps caught him still with a dose of youth and inexperience; it's the continuous losses to the greats without capitalizing on golden opportunities, the lack of self-criticism in defeats against supposedly inferior opponents, the sense of stagnation or even regression in terms of his level. It seems that karma, after years of tough paths, has opened a highway of redemption ahead of him... but the fan doesn't believe in it and sticks to a rather dubious track record.

If Rafael Jódar or Joao Fonseca inspire confidence and lack of hesitation in crucial moments, with Zverev it's precisely the opposite. Now that the entire world is on his shoulders, it's time to prove that he can bear it. In the future, no one will care about his journey to the title; no one questions Roger Federer's opponents when he was crowned champion at Roland Garros 2009, far from his kryptonite and defeating his demons.

The situations of the Swiss and the German (in a parallel that gains more narrative when we recall Roger's statements about Sascha, almost pleading for him to use his physique and be more aggressive and proactive on the court to fulfill his full potential) are, in a way, identical. The final monster disappears in an unexpectedly huge shock, Djokovic also bows out in the first week of competition... and you're left as the top favorite against your lingering thorn, against something you never achieved after coming so close on multiple occasions. Roger overcame significant obstacles, escaped from mazes that almost had no way out (that right against Tommy Haas on break point against...), surpassed new young talents hungry for glory (Monfils and del Potro, now Jódar and Fonseca or Mensik?), and finally lifted the Musketeers' Cup to silence the world's doubts.

Tomorrow begins a journey of ambition as well. To demonstrate that so many grandiloquent statements can have a happy ending. To show that in life, everything boils down to always being prepared when your moment arrives, and not hesitating to seize it when it's right in front of you. Can Zverev silence the masses in a land of revolution and guillotine? What a week awaits us to find out, my friends.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El pueblo no confía en Zverev