The Japan Times - Controversial Zverev: from tennis nearly-man to multiple Grand Slam winner

The 29-year-old German had finally fashioned his "happy end" with his French Open victory in June.

On Sunday, he played in his third straight Grand Slam final, following up his Wimbledon runner-up finish with a victory over rising US star Ben Shelton.

The 6-foot-6 (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," Zverev has said.

Tipped for stardom from his youth, his path has been anything but smooth. He lives with diabetes and in 2022 suffered a career-threatening ankle injury at Roland Garros.

He also plays in the shadow of domestic violence allegations made by two former partners, Olga Sharypova and Brenda Patea, which he has strenuously denied.

The ATP Tour investigated one claim and found insufficient evidence to punish Zverev.

The case involving Patea, the mother of his daughter, led to a 2023 penalty order and fine from a German court.

Zverev appealed and the two reached a settlement in June of 2024 -- hours before he was due to play in the French Open semi-finals.

- Highs and lows -

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

"That was exactly the time when I had real struggles with my serve and my second serve," he said of that match.

"I knew that my serve could break down at any moment. That's one difference that I do feel now, luckily for me."

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.

Returning in January 2023, Zverev captured a 20th career title in Hamburg before having a fine 2024 season, in which he powered into the French Open final and surged to world number two, dispelling concerns that he was mentally frail.

"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.

"You shouldn't try to evaluate everything when times are tough, you should try to find ways to get better when you're on a high."

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

There were successes along the way, the most notable a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he stunned Novak Djokovic before taking down Karen Khachanov in the final.

But 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.

Zverev says he never lost faith that he could break through.

"I believed in it. I believed that it's possible," he told reporters in New York, adding with a laugh: "I think not many of you guys did."

M.Saito--JT