Greg Rusedski calls out what he has recently heard about Alexander Zverev as ‘a load of rubbish’

Alexander Zverev has caused debate after winning two Grand Slams this year.

Zverev recently won the US Open, adding to his first ever major title victory at Roland Garros earlier this year.

However, Zverev only faced one top 10 player in either of these two Grand Slam title runs, coming in the US Open final against Ben Shelton.

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Zverev was beaten by Alex de Minaur at the Laver Cup, meaning he has a 2-8 record against top 10 players this year, but former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski has jumped to the defence of the German.

Greg Rusedski dismisses discussion around Alexander Zverev's Grand Slam wins

Rusedski reacted to Zverev's defeat against De Minaur in the latest edition of his podcast, which he admitted did not concern him after his US Open win, giving praise to his opponent.

"Well it's always tough when you come indoors and De Minaur is a tough opponent to beat," said Rusedski. "The way he moves, the way he goes around the court. Also conditions at the O2 were a medium to slowish indoor court.

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"Let's not forget it's his first tournament after the Davis Cup as well as winning the US Open, so trying to get that transition isn't easy. Yeah he got a little bit tight, but give credit to De Minaur, I'm not worried about it whatsoever. The guy's won two Slams.

"Everybody gets a little bit nervous here and there, but he did shut it out. Every time he's had a match to win the Laver Cup, I think he's five and one on deciding matches to close out the tie, so I'm not worried about that little hiccup, he lost to a world class player."

Zverev has won both of his Grand Slam titles without playing either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, who have been the two dominant forces in men's tennis in recent years.

This has led to some debate over whether Zverev would be a Grand Slam champion had both of Sinner and Alcaraz been fit for his two major victories, but Rusedski believes this is an unfair debate, as he pointed out that the Roland Garros and US Open champion is currently in pole position to end the year as world number one.

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"Well the argument there was okay, he didn't have to beat Sinner or Alcaraz to win his two majors. That's a load of rubbish," claimed Rusedski. "You've got to win seven matches. You don't fluke a Slam. And Zverev on both majors had the expectation that he should win them. He also made a Wimbledon final.

"His expectation now is to be world number one at the end of the season and he's leading that race by 750 points ahead of Sinner, who's just pulled out of the tournament in Asia. So from his point of view, the goal right now is can I get to a spot I've never been, world number one? And that is the main goal to try and finish this season. So, there's going to be a three man show coming up when we get down under in Australia to start the year and Zverev welcome to the party."

When did Alexander Zverev last beat either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?

After Sinner withdrew from the China Open, it seems likely that Zverev will end the 2026 season as the world number one.

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However, Zverev has actually not beaten either Sinner or Alcaraz since the 2024 ATP Finals, when he defeated the latter in straight sets.

Since that win, Zverev has lost twice to Alcaraz and has suffered a huge nine defeats to world number one Sinner. This includes five losses to the Italian this year, with Zverev now trailing Sinner 11-4 in the head-to-head, having not beaten him since the 2023 US Open.

Zverev will not have to worry about either Sinner or Alcaraz at the China Open, where Novak Djokovic is playing, as well as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev.

If he does win the title in Beijing, Zverev will have a chance to become world number one for the first time at the Shanghai Masters.

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