“Absurd to say he’s not that good”: Roddick, Eubanks and Wertheim defend Alexander Zverev as best player not to win a Slam and most disrespected

On a recent episode of Served, Andy Roddick, Christopher Eubanks and Jon Wertheim dove into one of the sport’s most polarising topics: the tennis reputation of Alexander Zverev. What unfolded was a forceful, detailed defence of the German’s on-court résumé, alongside a call for more honest, nuanced dialogue about separating performance from personal feelings.

Roddick opened the discussion with visible irritation at what he sees as a growing trend among commentators and fans: dismissing Zverev as a subpar player simply because he isn’t Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner—or because of off-court controversies.

“You might not be a fan of Sascha for reasons and things that have happened off-court,” he said on Served. “But there have been people on podcasts who treat him like he’s not a great player. And that p****s me off.”

Roddick listed the numbers: 24 career titles, two ATP Finals trophies, and eight qualifications for the year-end championship in the nine seasons he’s been healthy.

“There are not a lot of people who have made World Tour Finals eight times. And won twice,” Roddick said. “To simply sit there and say he’s not that good is offensive to every tennis player on the planet.”

Eubanks then recounted hearing a podcast host claim bluntly: “I just don’t know what he does. He’s just not that good.”

That, Eubanks said, “made me so angry.” He broke down Zverev’s tangible strengths: a 6’7” frame generating 135 mph first serves at a 75–80% clip, one of the best backhands in the game, and exceptional movement for a tall player—“not ‘moves well for a big guy,’ genuinely great movement.”

“Yes, you can critique his passivity,” Eubanks said. “Now we're talking tennis. But to sit up and say he’s just not that good doesn’t make any logical tennis sense.”

He argued that many critics allow their personal feelings about Zverev’s off-court legal issues and allegations to cloud their judgment of his actual tennis.

“There’s no way you can watch him and say this guy isn’t good. His track record speaks for itself.”

Wertheim added balance to the conversation. He pointed out that while Zverev has had stellar seasons, even the German has acknowledged that his year felt “unsatisfying.”

“We should be able to say this guy served for a major title and he couldn’t close, and that he’s still really friggin’ good,” Wertheim said. “To denigrate the guy’s entire career because he hasn’t won a major is absurd.”

He highlighted two areas often overlooked: Zverev’s comeback from a devastating ankle injury at Roland Garros and his recovery from severe serving yips—“as bad as anything Sabalenka went through.”

Wertheim also noted that Zverev’s ATP Finals record—two titles, and a strong win-loss record against top-eight fields—places him in rare territory.

“He’s the best player never to have won a major,” he said, “and at the same time he’s almost criminally underrated for what he’s done over the last decade.”

Roddick returned to the theme of pressure, acknowledging that Zverev probably “squeezes too tight” in majors as he chases a breakthrough.

“Would he tell you he was nervous and maybe choked away the U.S. Open? I’m guessing yes,” Roddick said. “But that doesn’t mean he’s not clearly the next guy behind Sinner and Alcaraz. He’s been there for a decade.”

Roddick also reminded listeners that Zverev reached that 2020 U.S. Open final while dealing with the yips on his serve—so severe that he was “practically serving two first serves” to cope.

“To make a Grand Slam final and serve for it without full confidence in your biggest weapon? And then people say, ‘Yeah, he’s just not it’? Come on, man.”

For Roddick, the conversation wasn’t only about Zverev—it was about respecting the sport itself.

“Tennis is really hard,” he said. “We disrespect all of tennis when we pretend like it’s easy.”