Alexander Zverev helped Germany secure their place in the Davis Cup Finals in a tough tie against Croatia.
Zverev picked up straight sets victories against Dino Prizmic and Matej Dodig to help his nation defeat Croatia 3-1 on home soil to confirm their place in the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna at the end of the year.
The German was playing his first tournament since winning the US Open and he is now on a nine-match unbeaten streak thanks to his exploits at the Davis Cup.
Zverev has often been outspoken about the Davis Cup and he continued to criticise the format after Germany had booked their place in the Finals.
The Davis Cup Finals used to be between two teams and played at a home or away location, but it now features eight teams in a knockout tournament at a set location.
It’s been a controversial move from the Davis Cup and Zverev is just one of the many players not happy about what has been done to the illustrious tournament.
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Speaking after securing his Germany’s place in the Finals, Zverev said: “I hope that the Davis Cup decision-makers will eventually wake up and see what the real Davis Cup is.
“Because this weekend was the real Cup,” added the two-time Grand Slam champion. “What we’re playing in Bologna is absolute rubbish. I hope we return to the old format.”
Zverev is yet to win the Davis Cup in his career and Germany have been on a slump in recent years.
They dominated the tournament in the 1980s and 1990s when the likes of Boris Becker and Michael Stich were at the peak of their powers.
Germany claimed the title in 1988, 1989, and 1993, but the latter time was the last time they have claimed the title, so they are currently on a 33-year drought.
At last year’s event, Germany made it to the semifinals of the competition, but they were ousted by Spain, despite Zverev’s victory against Jaume Munar.
With Zverev in the form of his life in the 2026 season, however, they could have a very good chance of lifting the trophy at the end of the year and ending their three decades of hurt.
Zverev has a 13-5 win-loss record for Germany on Davis Cup duty, but he impressively hasn’t tasted defeat at the tournament since the 2023 edition.
That came against Switzerland and Marc-Andrea Huesler, who stunned Zverev with a straight sets victory, as Germany were knocked out of the qualifying stage of the tournament.
