Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci believes that Alexander Zverev needs to up his risk profile if he wants to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner going forward.

The German ended his long wait for a Grand Slam by winning the French Open earlier this year, in a tournament where Sinner suffered a shock early exit and Alcaraz was out with a wrist injury.

At the US Open, Sinner missed the tournament with a knee issue, while the returning Alcaraz made it to the quarter-finals before losing to eventual finalist Ben Shelton.

In both majors, Zverev didn’t have to go through either player, but when he did face them in 2026, Alcaraz beat him in five sets at the Australian Open and Sinner saw him off in four sets at Wimbledon.

So the big question is, can the new US Open champion raise his game and actually threaten the dominant duo in men’s tennis? According to Macci, the world No 2 needs to come into the net more and alter his return positioning.

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The former coach of Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams told Florida Tennis, “He is volleying a little better. His brother [Mischa] was a great doubles player and had great volleys. He needs to sprinkle that in a little bit, but I think the wildcard is the confidence to take more chances.

“I don’t think Alcaraz or Sinner, when they’ve played him, are going to beat themselves. He is going to have to take it. Indoors might be easier; he could serve at 80%. It’s more about confidence and going after his shots a bit more and making them uncomfortable.”

Zverev holds a losing 4-11 record to Sinner, with the Italian winning their last 10 meetings. With Alcaraz, the head-to-head is much more even, with the Spaniard leading 7-6. Indeed, in Australia, the 29-year-old served for the match before losing in five sets.

Incidentally, Zverev is known for standing a long way back behind the baseline to return serve, which can make him vulnerable to serve and volley tactics.

And while it may not be natural for the 6ft 6in player, the 71-year-old wants Zverev to stand nearer to the baseline and come to the net more.

Macci, who has also coached Andy Roddick and Jennifer Capriati, added, “He needs to stand much closer to the baseline on the return of serve. He’s so far back, sometimes he’s standing in Germany. You cannot be that far back, especially with his backhand because he can take it on the rise and give you a surprise.

“I would alter the return of serve and practice putting that into his game more. And with anything short, he’s going to have to have the courage to move to the approach shot and come in. Because the more you fail, the more you’re going to succeed.”