“You feel sorry for him, he doesn’t have a plan”: Zverev receives harsh criticism from a legend for his level

Alexander Zverev is in the focus of the scene: it is the current number 3 in the tennis worldbut it seems far from what they show Carlos Alcaraz (1st) and Jannik Sinner (2nd)the dominators of the circuit and who shared the big titles of the season. After the early elimination of German in the ATP Finals 2025 in Turinthe criticism did not take long to arrive.

British former tennis player Tim Henman was categorical: “I don’t see a plan for him on the court.” After the fall against the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 and 7-6the four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist acknowledged that Sascha’s serve “is phenomenal and allows him to stay in these matches,” but added that “From the back of the court, his forehand looks vulnerable, he is very reactive, he retreats”.

In his analysis in sky sportsHenman maintained that this lack of tactical structure is repeated in his last matches: “I was creating some opportunities, but I just couldn’t find a way to take advantage of them.” One of the keys lies in how Zverev approaches the points: “A common option he often resorts to is to take a step back and wait for his opponents to make the mistakes.” And he immediately warns: “The problem is that at these levels you cannot do this because the normal thing is that they surpass you.”

The German’s inconsistency became evident throughout the year. Although 2025 started with a final at the Australian Open —fallen to Jannik Sinner—and took the ATP 500 Munichhis performance declined in the following majors: rooms at Roland Garroselimination in first round at Wimbledon and defeat in third of the US Open. In Turin, he didn’t even make it past the opening round.

The Briton, winner of 10 titles on the circuit, also questioned the German’s environment, where his father Aleksandr and his brother Mischa have maintained a central role despite the passing of coaches such as Ferrero, Ferrer, Bruguera or Lendl. “The truth is, I don’t know what influence his father and brother will have when designing his game strategy, but it is evident that He needs new impulses at this point in his career”, noted the commentator.

The season closes with more doubts than certainties. Just 12 months ago, Henman said he believed Zverev had a real chance of winning a Grand Slam. Today, his diagnosis is different: “You feel sorry for Zverev. I think he’s had 11 break chances in his last two matches and he hasn’t been able to break serve.”

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