Jimmy Connors is warning Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas that they don't have any time to waste if they want to win a Grand Slam as the American tennis legend believes the younger players have "a better court awareness" and that it is showing in results.
Zverev, 28, and 27-year-old Tsitsipas established themselves as one of the most promising and talented players in the game when they first arrived on the Tour. And while each made multiple Grand Slam finals, neither has yet won a title on the biggest stage - the German is 0-3 in his Slam finals, while the Greek is 0-2.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are retired, while Novak Djokovic hasn't won a Major since the 2023 US Open. And since then, two players have completely dominated the Grand Slam scene - Carlos Alcaraz, 22, and 24-year-old Jannik Sinner have split eight Majors that have taken place since 2024.
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Connors warns Zverev, Tsitsipas: You better catch up in a hurry... The door's closing pretty quickly
"It's all about court awareness and I think the younger kids coming in up now are becoming smarter and that understanding the court awareness and what it means to, to be able to get inside the court, Alcaraz for sure, for sure understands that and at a very young age," the former world No. 1 said on the Advantage Connors podcast.
"You know, the other guys, the older guys now, Zverev, Tsitsipas, they better catch on in a hurry, because if not then, as we talked about they are looking both ways, the guys in front, the guys in back and their time of having a chance to win a Grand Slam, the door's closing pretty quick."
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At the start of the 2025 season, Zverev was bounced in straight sets by Sinner in the Australian Open final. Afterward, the 28-year-old German admitted that he was completely outplayed by his rival and that he didn't stand a chance.
On the other side, Tsitsipas stunningly didn't make it past the opening two rounds in any Major this year.
