Tennis - Australian Open - Press Conference - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 10, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Alexander Zverev has worn the tag of Grand Slam nearly man for years but after working his way back to the top of the men's game following a serious injury the German is eager to claim some long overdue success at Melbourne Park.
The world number two had an extended spell on the sidelines after damaging ankle ligaments at the 2022 French Open but looked back to his best in 2024, winning Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Paris.
He also reached the French Open final and the semis at Melbourne Park, and will be hoping to become the first German man to win the Australian Open since Boris Becker in 1996.
"I think everybody knows what I'm chasing. Everybody knows what my goal and my dreams are, right? It's to win," Zverev told reporters on Friday.
"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. I want to play my best tennis. I want to go far and hopefully win the tournament."
Zverev also weighed in on the International Tennis Federation's decision to allow off-court coaching starting this year, saying he had come around on it.
"I always thought tennis is an individual sport where you have to figure things out on your own," the 27-year-old added.
"Of course, it's different now. They're sitting courtside. They have the iPad and they have the stats on the screen. That's a big difference I think ... It's very clear now.
"You're definitely allowed to coach, to use stats, use all the data that you get. If tennis is going towards that way, then it should go that way to 100%. That's what it did."
The news conference was interrupted by 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who requested to ask Zverev a question, only for the German to quip: "The answer is yes, you're going to win your 25th Grand Slam.
"We're all going to be happy. 'Yay, Novak Djokovic, once again'."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
