Alexander Zverev claimed Jannik Sinner had opened up a gap between himself and Carlos Alcaraz.
The German said the following after losing the 2026 Madrid Open final to Sinner.
“Well, I think there’s a big gap between [Jannik] Sinner and everybody else right now. It’s quite simple. I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else. And I think there’s a big gap between [Carlos] Alcaraz, myself, maybe Novak [Djokovic], and everybody else. I think there are two gaps right now,” said Zverev.
Who will win the 2026 Italian Open?
A stacked field in Rome!
Former world number one Andy Roddick has now delivered his verdict on Zverev’s comments.
Andy Roddick isn’t ‘ready’ to say there is a gap between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, the American shared his thoughts on what Zverev said after the Madrid Open final.
“I don’t know that I’m ready to take the leap, that there’s a gap between him [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] that’s sizeable, which I think is what he was saying,” said Roddick.
“I don’t see a grouping of one [Sinner] and then three [Alcaraz, Zverev, and Djokovic].
“I see a grouping of two and then the rest, generally speaking.”
Official ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Titles since 2024 |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 14,350 | 18 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,960 | 14 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,805 | 3 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,700 | 3 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,050 | 4 |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 4,030 | 4 |
| 7 | Taylor Fritz | USA | 3,770 | 4 |
| 8 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 3,755 | 4 |
| 9 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3,460 | 3 |
| 10 | Lorenzo Musetti | Italy | 3,415 | 0 |
Looking at the world rankings and the number of titles won since the beginning of the 2024 season, if there is any ‘gap’ it’s between Sinner/Alcaraz and the rest of the field.
Zverev may have got that one wrong, but Roddick was full of praise for the world number three.
“I talked to him this off-season, I really enjoy talking tennis with Zverev,” he said.
“A lot of tennis players that you talk to, listen, it’s in our job title to be in denial if things aren’t going well. We’re experts at lying to ourselves.
“Zverev, I talk to him, he’s so eyes wide open. He’s like, listen, I understand that my career is going to be defined by whether I can win the last two matches of a Slam.
Alexander Zverev’s record in Grand Slam finals (0-3)
- 2020 US Open final [LOSS] vs Dominic Thiem
- 2024 French Open final [LOSS] vs Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 Australian Open final [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner
“It makes it really easy to cover him, because he says everything first.
“People say he shouldn’t be saying that, but it’s reality, though. If he sits there and goes, there’s not that much of a difference. I was probably guilty of that; I wanted to lie to myself all the time.”
Roddick also commented on the tactical decisions Zverev made during the Madrid Open final.
“If you’re Zverev, I’m curious what the discussions are in-house,” he said.
“He made a couple of adjustments early in that match, where he was coming in a little bit, did the right thing, then he missed a volley, missed an overhead.
“All of a sudden, it’s 15-40, you get broken, and Sinner doesn’t give a lot of matches back!”
Zverev has now lost eight consecutive matches against Sinner.
What does Alexander Zverev have to do to change his results against Jannik Sinner?
If he is to win a Grand Slam title, Zverev will likely need to end that losing streak and defeat the world number one.
Who will Alexander Zverev play first at the Italian Open?
Zverev could meet Sinner in the Italian Open final later this month, but has a lot of work to do before then.
Receiving a bye into the second round, the German will meet either Zhang Zhizhen or his countryman, Daniel Altmaier.
Zverev has a winning 3-1 head-to-head record against Altmaier and a 2-0 record against Zhizhen.
A big favourite in either match-up, Zverev should win his opening match in Rome.
Twice a champion in the Italian capital, the 29-year-old will be keen to add a third title to his collection in 2026, finishing up his Roland Garros preparations in style.
Only time will tell who will win the Italian Open, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
