The Japan Times - Former nearly-man Zverev on cusp of French Open-Wimbledon double

Zverev will become only the seventh man in the Open era to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back if he can defeat Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final at the All England Club.

The 6ft 6ins (1.98m) German had been destined for the top from a young age, hailing from a tennis family where his mother and father both played the sport to a high level in the former Soviet Union.

"For me, my family is everything and I owe them a lot for helping me to become the tennis player that I am today," the 29-year-old, who had often been considered the sport's most unfulfilled talent, previously said.

However, Zverev was accused of domestic abuse by an ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child, which led to a high-profile court case in Germany.

The case was dropped in 2024 after a settlement, which did not include an admission of guilt, was agreed hours before he was due to play in the French Open semi-finals.

He agreed to pay the German state 150,000 euros ($171,000) and 50,000 euros to charity.

Earlier allegations of domestic abuse against a previous ex-partner, first published in an interview with her in 2020, initiated a 15-month investigation commissioned by the ATP, which was eventually dropped due to "insufficient evidence".

Known by his nickname "Sascha", Zverev's greatest achievement prior to the 2026 French Open was winning gold at the Covid-hit Tokyo Olympics.

It was the first time a German had clinched the men's singles title, stunning heavy favourite Novak Djokovic before taking down Karen Khachanov in the final.

"There is nothing better than this," he said at the time.

Born in Hamburg in 1997 to Russian parents, Zverev was exposed to tennis from an early age through his mother Irina and father Alexander, who remains his coach.

They moved to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union, where they began training their son.

Zverev has suffered from diabetes since he was four and created the Alexander Zverev Foundation in 2022 to support children with the condition and provide medication for those in developing countries.

But his talent quickly became evident, winning the boys' singles tournament at the 2014 Australian Open and becoming junior world number one.

He broke into the senior ranks and was named the 2015 ATP Newcomer of the Year. By the time he was 20, he was in the world's top three.

- Highs and lows -

Zverev, who idolised Roger Federer growing up, made his first Grand Slam final in 2020 at the US Open, agonisingly losing in five sets to Dominic Thiem after being 2-0 up.

His seemingly unstoppable rise was temporarily halted when he tore ankle ligaments while playing Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros semis two years later and he underwent surgery.

Zverev finished as runner-up in the 2024 French Open final and climbed to world number two as the top prizes continued to elude him.

"In the life of a professional athlete you will have the highest highs and the lowest lows," said Zverev.

"Getting caught up in the lows is the biggest mistake that you can make."

A third Grand Slam final defeat followed at the 2025 Australian Open, in straight sets by Sinner.

Doubts about whether or not he would break his Grand Slam duck resurfaced as Sinner and Alcaraz dominated men's tennis by winning nine consecutive majors between them.

However, Zverev finally fulfilled his major dreams after taking advantage of Alcaraz's injury absence at Roland Garros and Sinner's shock second-round exit.

"Now finally it's a happy end," said Zverev after battling past Italy's Flavio Cobolli in last month's French Open final.

The added confidence gained from that triumph has helped him ease through the draw at Wimbledon for the loss of only two sets, with reigning champion Sinner standing between him and a second straight Slam crown.

K.Yoshida--JT