Alexander Zverev has caused a stir amongst the global tennis community.
The German superstar, ranked second on the ATP Tour, is set to play in his fifth Grand Slam final later this afternoon when he contests the Wimbledon final.
Zverev, who is looking to win two consecutive major titles following his triumph in Paris, will play defending champion Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s championship showpiece.
Who will win the Wimbledon final? Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev
The top two seeds collide!
Six years ago, the German contested his first major final against Dominic Thiem at the US Open.
Thiem saved match points en route to victory, triumphing 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 in New York.
Alexander Zverev comes under fire from tennis fans after his latest comments about Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem admitted he ‘fell into a hole’ shortly after winning his first major title in 2020.
“After [the US Open] I was in a state of euphoria,” Thiem said in 2021. “The results were still good, I reached the final at the ATP Finals in London.
“But during the preparation for this season I fell into a hole. We’ll see if I can loosen up, I don’t know, I hope so.
After beating Arthur Fery in the 2026 Wimbledon semi-finals, Alexander Zverev commented on why he was able to reach another Grand Slam final so quickly right after winning Roland Garros, while Dominic Thiem found it difficult after winning U.S. Open.
Zverev won his first major title last month, beating Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final.
“I think Dominic Thiem in particular put his whole life and soul into winning that Slam,” Zverev told reporters in London. “He came back from two sets to zero down against me in the U.S. Open.
“I think it was such a relief for him that it was maybe a bit too much of a relief mentally.
“For me, I stay focused. I stay hungry. I want more. I want to continue playing at the best level.
“I want to continue winning. I hope I’m able to do that. On Sunday, I have another big chance.”
Many tennis fans have since taken issue with these comments made by Zverev, pointing out Thiem’s struggles with injury after his US Open win and the level of competition that the Austrian faced during his peak years on the Tour.
“No, it’s because Thiem had to routinely go against Roger, Rafa and Djokovic in their prime…and Murray,” one fan responded on social media. “Much more depth back then. You’re [the] only one without Alcaraz and with Djokovic way past his prime.”
“He only won Roland Garros because Sinner and Alcaraz weren’t there,” another added.
Alcaraz, a seven-time major champion, has been absent from the Tour since injuring his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April.
Consequently, the Spaniard has been forced to skip Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Sinner was defeated in the French Open second round by Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
“This is funny because Zverev is making back-to-back finals because of Alcaraz’s absence,” another contributor said on social media, echoing the thoughts of others.
One fan highlighted Thiem’s injury troubles in the aftermath of his US Open triumph.
“I don’t love psychoanalysing another player’s career to make a point about your own,” they said. “It’s unfair to boil Thiem’s story down to mentality when injuries played such a massive role.
“He’s erasing the fact that Thiem had injury,” another added. “Wrist surgery and had to go through years of rehab.
“Wouldn’t call that complacency, it’s much more complicated than that. A convenient narrative when you’re the one still playing for more.”
Thiem suffered a bad wrist injury at the 2021 Mallorca Open – nine months after his Grand Slam triumph in New York.
The Austrian never truly recovered from the physical damage, eventually retiring from his playing career in 2024.
Dominic Thiem’s run to the 2020 US Open title
Thiem, seeded second, began his 2020 US Open campaign by defeating Spanish youngster Jaume Munar.
The Austrian then knocked out Sumit Nagal and 2014 champion Marin Cilic, setting up a fourth-round clash against 15th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Thiem comfortably defeated the prodigious Canadian talent, winning 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 in New York.
Thiem’s excellent form continued in the next two rounds: he defeated Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
Thiem, who had lost three major finals prior to his run at the 2020 US Open, finally laid his demons to rest with victory over Alexander Zverev.
”I want to congratulate Dominic on the first of many Grand Slam titles,” Zverev said after the five-set loss. “I wish you could have missed a little more so I could be holding that trophy up, but here I am giving the runner-up speech.”
