Alexander Zverev declared his 2025 season "incredibly unsatisfying" following his ATP Finals group-stage exit, before noting that his top priority in 2026 will be to stay fit because there is no way he can return to his top form unless he is fully healthy.
After beating Ben Shelton in his Turin opener, Zverev suffered his fifth consecutive loss to Jannik Sinner. Then, in a decisive match for the last semifinal spot from their group, the German lost 4-6 6-7 (4) to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
For the 2025 season, Zverev's main goals were to become a Grand Slam champion and reach the world No. 1 ranking. At the very start of the year, the 28-year-old came close to achieving his Slam goal but then picked up a straight-set defeat to Sinner in the Australian Open.
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After the Australian Open final loss, Zverev went only 4-4 across his next four tournaments. And while the world No. 3 enjoyed several deep runs in the rest of the year, the feeling was that he never mentally recovered from what happened at Melbourne Park.
Zverev asked what he wants to do differently in 2026
"I mean, staying fit is number one for me priority because then I can build. It's as simple as that. I feel like over the last month I was still building up quite nicely. I feel like my level has been improving. Today it was nowhere near what it was the last month. I'll look, I'll play Davis Cup, then I'll take some time off, then I'll have some time to think about it," the three-time Grand Slam runner-up said.
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"Right now it's a disappointment with the loss. It's not only a disappointment with the loss, it's a disappointment with how I performed with my capabilities. The last couple days, I definitely played better. For me, that's the most disappointing."
Heading into the Davis Cup Final 8, Zverev owns a 55-25 record in 2025. His only title of the year came in Munich, while he lost the finals at the Australian Open, Stuttgart and Vienna.
