Roger Federer admits he is delighted that Alexander Zverev finally broke his Grand Slam duck in 2026, saying one pivotal change has allowed the German to flourish.
After finishing runner-up in three major finals, Zverev won his maiden title at Roland Garros this year with a win over Flavio Cobolli in the final and then backed it up with a second trophy at the US Open by beating Ben Shelton in the showpiece match at Flushing Meadows.
Federer believes it was only a matter of time before the German got won the big ones.
“Given his ability, these two titles were long overdue. That’s why I was incredibly happy for him,” the tennis great said during an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Although Federer has long been an admirer of the 29-year-old’s game, he always felt that the German’s lack of aggression, especially from the baseline, during big matches contributed to his downfall.
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Zverev famously served for the 2020 US Open final at 5-3 in the decisive set against Dominic Thiem, but failed to see out the match as the Austrian won in five sets.
Four years later, he found himself two sets to one up against Carlos Alcaraz, but also went on to lose in five sets.
According to Federer, his two Grand Slam titles are proof “that he dared to play bold tennis even in the big matches”.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner added: “Many others, including myself, have advised him for years to be more aggressive from the baseline and to dictate the game more. In the important moments, often had the problem that he became too passive.”
His wins over Cobolli and Shelton showed his improvement when it comes to closing out important matches as against the former, he dropped the fourth set as it went to a decider, but then eased over the finish line with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 win while he beat Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in New York.
Those two Grand Slam wins have also been key to his rise back up the rankings as Zverev currently sits at No 2 behind Jannik Sinner, but he is guaranteed to become No 1 in the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career as the Italian has called an early end to his season.
Zverev, who will be the first German since Boris Becker to top the men’s rankings, will also finish as the year-end No 1 following Sinner’s injury setback.
