"Zverev has taken advantage of Alcaraz's absence"

Jose Morón | 12 Jul 2026 | 14.58

Zverev has taken advantage of Alcaraz's absence. Photo: Getty

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No one can take away from Alexander Zverev the fact that he won Roland Garros or reached the final of Wimbledon (or maybe will win the title there too). However, it is undeniable that the German has taken advantage of the absence left by Carlos Alcaraz due to his injury, as thanks to that, Sascha has had two much more favorable draws in these two tournaments.

On his way to the title, Zverev faced the following opponents in Paris:

1R: Bonzi (N95)
2R: Machac (N45)
3R: Halys (N90)
4R: De Jong (N106)
QF: Jódar (N29)
SF: Mensik (N27)
Final: Cobolli (N14)

Cobolli was the highest-level opponent, and it was extremely tough to defeat him. In general, not a single one of those opponents was a Top 10 player. It is evident that if none of them reached the Top 10, it is because the tournament, for whatever reasons, became tough and they did not progress further. In that battle, Sascha was the best and the one who stood tall, clearly, but it cannot be overlooked that his draw was much relieved of Top players compared to what he would have encountered if Alcaraz had played in this tournament.

If the Murcian had played at Roland Garros, he would have done so as the second seed and would have had the same draw that Sascha had in Paris. On the other hand, the German would have entered as the 3rd seed and would have faced the path Djokovic had, meeting Fonseca in the 3rd round, Ruud in the 4th round, and Mensik in the QF. A completely different path from what he had.

On the other hand, at Wimbledon, Zverev has encountered the following draw:

1R: Blockx (N36)
2R: Royer (N75)
3R: Giron (N92)
4R: Lehecka (N14)
QF: Fritz (N7)
SF: Fery (N114)
Final: Sinner (N1)

The only Top 10 player he faced in his path was Fritz in the quarterfinals, where he felt a knee injury. It is a completely different path from what he would have had as the third seed, in this case: Félix Auger-Aliassime. He would have faced Davidovich in the 4th round and Djokovic in the QF. Quite different.

Let it be clear that this is not a criticism or an attempt to diminish Zverev's achievements in the last month. They are just facts.

These were the opponents Sascha had both in Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

RG:
1R: Bonzi (N95)
2R: Machac (N45)
3R: Halys (N90)
4R:… pic.twitter.com/BfQW3g79NH
— José Morón (@jmgmoron) July 12, 2026

Beating Sinner to prove that Zverev not only capitalized on Alcaraz's absence

Now, in the Wimbledon final, he will face the world number 1. The real 'Final Boss' and the ultimate test. He has failed to defeat the Italian in their last nine encounters, managing to win only two sets. If he manages to defeat Jannik, it would demonstrate that he not only benefited from two good draws due to Alcaraz's absence but also that he is someone who has grown in adversity and that his stature as a tennis player has evolved from what it was a month ago.

The other day in a press conference, Zverev stated that his case cannot be compared to Thiem's, as the Austrian centered his whole life around winning a Slam and felt empty once he achieved it. Sascha claimed that he still has a lot of hunger to go for more, but that must also be demonstrated in Grand Slam tournaments against top tier opponents, facing the best and overcoming them.

Not in every Slam will he have the stroke of fortune from "fate," something that Djokovic, by the way, desires to have for a better path to the final to secure his 25th. Therefore, today's match against Sinner represents the ultimate test to gauge Zverev's standing, whether he belongs among the top or not when these tournaments come around, as in the past, we have had Slam winners who capitalized on a special occasion but then couldn't repeat that success against the dominant players of each era. Today, we will find out the answer.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Zverev se ha aprovechado de la ausencia de Alcaraz"

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