Alexander Zverev produced one of his best performances of 2025 to defeat Lorenzo Musetti in the Vienna Open semi-finals on Saturday.
The German has struggled for consistency throughout 2025, most recently losing to Arthur Rinderknech in the Shanghai Masters third round.
However, after coming through a tough three-set contest against Jacob Fearnley in the first round, Zverev has motored through the draw.
After defeating both Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, Zverev will face world number two Jannik Sinner in the final.
Ahead of Sunday’s final, Zverev compared Sinner to his longtime rival – Carlos Alcaraz.
Alexander Zverev says Jannik Sinner is ‘number one’ in terms of footwork
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two best players in the world, and their peers look unlikely to reel them in anytime soon.
The pair have won the last eight Grand Slams combined, dating back to the 2024 Australian Open. The last player to win a major not named Alcaraz or Sinner was Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open.
Alcaraz recently reclaimed the world number one spot from Sinner after winning the 2025 US Open, ending Sinner’s two-year reign at the top of tennis.
Zverev, who is the world number three, will hope to close the gap to the pair in 2026.
Speaking to Ubitennis after his semi-final victory against Musetti, Zverev compared his two rivals.
“It’s simple; he [Sinner] plays at the same speed as before, but he doesn’t make mistakes,” the German star told reporters.
“In any situation, he always gets to the ball well. In terms of footwork, he’s among the best in the world, maybe the best. He has incredible body control and always arrives with balance.
“Carlos is the fastest, but in terms of positioning on the ball, in terms of footwork, I think Jannik is number one.”
After the Vienna Open final, Zverev is set to compete in the Paris Masters, ATP Finals and Davis Cup.
Zverev’s positive record against Sinner
Despite losing to Sinner in their past two contests, Alexander Zverev still leads the Italian by four wins to three.
Sinner won their first contest at the 2020 French Open, before Zverev won four straight contests between the 2020 Cologne Open and 2023 US Open.
In 2024, Sinner defeated Zverev for the first time in four years at the Cincinnati Open. Five months later, Sinner repeated the feat, this time in the 2025 Australian Open final.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
| 2020 French Open | Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2020 Cologne Open | Alexander Zverev | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2021 US Open | Alexander Zverev | 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2022 Monte Carlo Masters | Alexander Zverev | 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2023 US Open | Alexander Zverev | 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2024 Cincinnati Open | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 |
| 2025 Australian Open | Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 |
During his runner-up speech in Melbourne, Zverev said: “It sucks standing next to this trophy.
“I was hoping to be more competitive, but Jannik was just too good – as simple as that.”
