Alexander Zverev could still have a bright future ahead after becoming a Grand Slam champion.
Zverev won Roland Garros last month, becoming a major winner for the first time in his career at 29 years old.
The German has continued his positive form since then, with Zverev reaching the Wimbledon final for the first time, before losing to Jannik Sinner.
As Zverev hopes to close the gap on Sinner, he has been given a positive sign by former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, who has suggested what could happen to the world number two now.
Richard Krajicek suggests Alexander Zverev could follow in Ivan Lendl’s footsteps
Krajicek was asked about the top three ranked players on the ATP Tour right now, Sinner, Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz, in a recent interview with Tennis365.
The 1996 Wimbledon winner particularly zoned in on Zverev, who he claimed could follow in the footsteps of Ivan Lendl now he has finally won a Grand Slam.
How many more Grand Slams does Alexander Zverev win now?
What a final!
“I have to say now, with Zverev winning that Slam, you saw it already [at Wimbledon]… grass is not his surface, but he wins close matches. He’s very confident,” said Krajicek.
“I remember when Lendl finally won his first Grand Slam, he started winning a lot of Grand Slams. It was eight [Grand Slams] he won in the end. So, maybe something like this can also happen [with Zverev].
“I think it’s going to be those three players – Sinner, Alcaraz and Zverev – playing for the next three, four, five years, in the top.”
Lendl lost five Grand Slam finals before winning his first at Roland Garros in 1984, before going on to win eight major titles in his career.
However, the key difference is that Lendl was 24 years old when he won his first major, while Zverev is five years older.
Richard Krajicek says if he is concerned about Carlos Alcaraz returning to form
Zverev is now the world number two, having taken advantage of Alcaraz’s absence from the ATP Tour due to his wrist injury.
Alcaraz is scheduled to return at the Cincinnati Open next month, and Krajicek stated that he is not concerned about the Spaniard’s level ahead of his comeback.
Rate Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of defending his US Open title with barely any warm-up 😬
“They’re much tougher injuries — these wrist or elbow injuries,” said Krajicek. “I had an elbow injury myself. It’s really difficult to reset when you start playing again. So, you hit a little bit… You need to go step by step.
“It’s not as clear-cut as tearing the ligaments in your ankle, which they say is three or four months, and it’s always three or four months, and then you can play again.
“So yeah, it takes a bit of time, but he’s young, and I think he’s got good healing power. I’m not concerned that he will play, and I’m not concerned that he’s going to return to his full form.
“But it’s a question of when. Is it going to be for the hard courts? Is it going to be for the indoors? But still, I think it’s going to be this year.”
The US Open is set to be the first Grand Slam tournament since the Australian Open where Sinner, Zverev and Alcaraz are all playing.
