“Absolutely an anomaly to not see him play a final so far this year" - Marion Bartoli labels Zverev-Sinner final as 'absolute treat' while assessing German's game

Alexander Zverev has finally made a final in the 2026. Former Grand Slam champion Marion Bartoli was very surprised about this stat ahead of competing in his first Masters 1000 final since the 2024 Paris Masters. World number one Jannik Sinner awaits him as the top two seeds clash for the Madrid Open title.

Zverev has enjoyed a lot of success at Caja Magica. He has become only the third person to reach four or more finals in Madrid, following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal (8) and Novak Djokovic (5). He could also become the joint-second most successful player in the tournament if he wins the title, joining Djokovic on three triumphs.

It is a tall order ahead of him. Sinner has not lost against Zverev in their prior eight meetings. A ninth in their first ever Masters 1000 final showdown would be a tough pill to swallow for Zverev, who is determined to get this match right.

He comes into a 13th final at this level by getting the better of emerging talent Alexander Blockx 6-2, 7-5. The Belgian had defeated three consecutive top 20 players in a row, including reigning champion Casper Ruud, but was no match for the three-time Grand Slam finalist.

Bartoli began by sharing how the conditions suited the world number three. “For me, yesterday he mentioned the fact that the conditions were cooler, and therefore it was tougher for him to hit the ball through the court in the second set,” she said. “I felt today, because the temperature throughout the day was higher, he didn’t drop in terms of power from the back of the court."

Zverev had numerous chances in that second set to get a break advantage, but some big serving by his opponent kept him at bay. "Just Blockx was able to find aces when he needed to, to find some really good serves, to just try to get himself into a tiebreak, but then that last service game at 5-5 from the Belgian player, up 40-0, Sascha Zverev refusing to give that game away. It’s easy to say, I’m 40-0 down, I haven’t broken him, I’m holding my serve comfortably, let me just go to a tiebreaker, and I’ll get him in a tiebreak."

With Zverev being one of the best players in the world, acknowledged by Bartoli, you cannot afford to be making mistakes against him with opportunities also having to be pounced upon at every occasion. “Those top players just don’t give you a single inch," she stated. "He clawed himself back into the game, got the break, and then finished it off."

After reaching five semi-finals in the first six tournaments competed at in 2026, Zverev is finally into the final of an ATP tournament. He was serving for a spot in the final of the Australian Open final before Carlos Alcaraz stormed back for a painful defeat for the German. Sinner halted his progress in the first three Masters 1000 tournaments of the year in this round with Flavio Cobolli a suprise winner in the semi-final of the BMW Munich Open enroute to lifting the title.

The former Wimbledon champion was flabbergasted that Zverev has not made it the distance until Madrid. “Absolutely an anomaly to not see him play a final so far this year, and I’m really pleased for him to be back into a final and facing the toughest opponent you can possibly face now, which is Jannik Sinner. But we are in for an absolute treat on Sunday, something not to miss for anything in the world.”

Bartoli continued to glaze the Zverev game, analysing his effective use of his forehand against Blockx.

“He came 21 times to the net, which is a lot,” she said. “At the beginning of the first set, Blockx gave him the possibility to be so aggressive, because he was just giving him so much court to work with, because of the court position of the Belgian player, which was so far behind the baseline, Zverev was constantly on top of it, hitting through the ball beautifully."

“What I really liked about this match because we know the backhand is always going to be there, the forehand really worked extremely well today, especially that heavy forehand cross-court. When he can generate a lot of racket head speed, it’s not a flat shot; it’s a heavy topspin clay-court shot. That is why he is a two-time champion."

This was a huge reason why he got over the line in straight sets. “He likes the conditions, it gives him a bit more time, the ball is bouncing a bit higher, and he can really unleash the power from the back of the court on the forehand side, and follow that to the net, which he did 21 times today, which is a lot for him in a two-set match.”