Alexander Zverev has to handle considerable pressure in this edition of the Australian Open.
The world No.3 is not only chasing his goal of winning a Grand Slam title to finally break this curse, but he also has to defend the final he reached at Melbourne Park last year.
The German ace had played an excellent tournament in the last edition, reaching the last act against former world number 1 Jannik Sinner. Sascha thought he was ready to finally lift the trophy in a Major, but the Italian champion was superior to him in all aspects of the game and did not give him a single break point in the entire final.
Despite his performances in the rest of the 2025 season falling short of expectations, the player from Hamburg has repeatedly defended himself from criticism and hopes to take some revenge this year.
Zverev was frightened
Zverev started the tournament by beating both Canadian star Gabriel Diallo and French ace Alexandre Muller in four sets, two quite dangerous opponents on this surface. The former world No. 2 hasn't played his best tennis so far, but he made the difference in the important moments and qualified for the third round without wasting too much energy.
During his press conference, the German player praised his rival's performance: "I have to admit that he played really well, showed a high level and put me in difficulty. I still think he's one of the most underrated players on the tour. I'm extremely happy to have won today."
The number 3 seed was forced to call a medical timeout: "I felt a little discomfort in the Achilles tendon area and I got a little scared, but the physiotherapist told me that everything was fine. I felt very good from that moment on, I was able to play freely and I hope I won't have any problems tomorrow either."
Sascha's next opponent will be British ace Cameron Norrie. The latter is very experienced and cannot be underestimated.
