Alexander Zverev was one of the biggest early casualties at Wimbledon this year.
Zverev lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in six years after being beaten by Arthur Rinderknech.
While this was a big talking point itself, Zverev’s post-match comments about his state of mind have really opened up a conversation.
Zverev’s brother has provided an update on the world number three, and now top tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has given him a warning for the future.
Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesPatrick Mouratoglou sends warning to Alexander Zverev
Zverev was not the only big name born in the 1990s who suffered an early exit at SW19 this year, with Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas also losing their first round matches at Wimbledon.
Tsitsipas once claimed that he thought himself, Zverev and Medvedev could be the players to fill the shoes of the big three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
His former coach, Mouratoglou, has now dismissed those claims due to their recent form and the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
While Mouratoglou did not rule out any three of them winning a major title in the future, he did warn the likes of Zverev that players including Jack Draper, Ben Shelton and Joao Fonseca will be breathing down their necks.
“Stefanos, Sascha and Daniil lost in the first round here [Wimbledon],” began Mouratoglou in a video on Instagram. “They are not at the top of the game, it’s Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but they’re right behind, they’re still there. It’s not because they lost in the first round that we should count them out.
“After Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, I know everybody wanted to have another big three. People like, fans like when there is a small, very small group of top players who dominate the game, because they like to see the same faces, they get to know them better by seeing them play very often, giving interviews very often. So we always wish to have a big three.
Mouratoglou continued, “Two years ago Stefanos thought the big three could be Daniil, Alexander Zverev and himself, didn’t happen for two reasons. The consistency, I would say probably the more consistent is Zverev throughout the year, but he hasn’t won a Grand Slam.
“Daniil has been extremely consistent, he is much less now, but he has won a Grand Slam. Stef has played Grand Slam finals, two to be precise. He was consistent, he’s not anymore. I mean it just shows how incredibly difficult it is to be consistent at the highest level over a long period of time.
“How much Federer, Nadal, Djokovic were exceptional, because how often did that happen in the history of this game? Not so much. To have three guys so consistently in the finals of the Grand Slams, I mean this is exceptional.
“Now the other reason why they’re not the top three is because Alcaraz and Sinner popped out and they play incredible tennis. They’re above the level of everyone else for sure. And I think one of the reasons why those two guys are way above is because they have no flaws in their game.
“If you’re a coach and you play Sinner tomorrow, do you have a tactic to beat him? No. You potentially have a tactic for your player to play his best, have a tactic not to put you not in the worst position against them, but a tactic to beat them using their flaws. There is none. The other players they have flaws, all of them.
“That’s why the three others cannot be the big three when you have two players that are way better than the group and you have to overplay them. But how do you overplay Sinner? How do you overplay Alcaraz? I mean who can do that?
“Now we’re sure that the big three will not be those three, can they win a Grand Slam still? Yes of course, those guys can win a Grand Slam because there will be years where probably Sinner or Alcaraz won’t play their best during one or two Grand Slams, will lose, and then there will be opportunities. Like there were opportunities for [Marin] Cilic, for [Juan Martin] Del Potro, for Andy Murray, for Stan Wawrinka to win Grand Slams in the Roger, Rafa and Novak era. There will be opportunities.
“Is it one of those guys who is going to take this opportunity to win a Grand Slam when one of those two will not? Potentially, yes. But be careful because there are also younger guys that are coming up that are extremely strong. Fonseca, Draper, Ben Shelton, maybe those guys will be the ones.
“So there is a real battle now not to be the top two or the top three, but to be right behind and to be ready for any opportunity to win a Grand Slam when one of those two guys will not.”
What is next for Alexander Zverev?
Following his concerning comments after losing in the first round of Wimbledon, Boris Becker asked Zverev not to compete until he is feeling mentally ready to do so.
However, the three-time Grand Slam finalist is currently scheduled to return to the match court in less than a week’s time at the ATP 250 tournament in Gstaad.
Attention will then quickly turn to the North American hard court swing, with Masters 1000 tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati ahead of the US Open.
Zverev, Tsitsipas and Medvedev will all be hoping to have put their respective Wimbledon defeats behind them at that point, as they look to return to previous form at the New York major.