Alexander Zverev on the same level as Sinner and Alcaraz? German Davis Cup captain believes so: "Over the last two months, he has even been slightly superior"

For the past few years now, no one has been able to bridge the gap over to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who have motored away at the top of the sport in formidable fashion. However, after his brilliant recent form that has seen him rise back into the top two in the world, German Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann believes his number one talent is worthy of being in the same conversations as them.

By just looking at his form this year, there is no question that Zverev has stepped a level. Following a very disappointing 2025 campaign, there were signs of improvement near the end of it which have been taken into 2026.

Deep runs in the Australian Open and the opening four Masters 1000 tournaments made for good reading, but the real headline would come at Roland Garros. Capitalising on all the early exits, he battled his way through and took down Flavio Cobolli in five sets to finally win a first ever Grand Slam title.

He backed it up with a fifth final at major level, taking the first set against Sinner at Wimbledon before being unable to kick on against the Italian who ticked off three sets on the spin and defended his title.

Aside from the Rome Open, the 29-year-old has reached at least the semi-final stage of every Grand Slam and Masters 1000 tournament in 2026. This has seen him jump above the injury-stricken Alcaraz into second by a healthy margin. It could become valuable for later tournaments when seeding comes into question.

Kohlmann was in full praise of Zverev. He cited that Roland Garros title as a key attribute for the future with the burden of winning a maiden major title not the ambition anymore.

"When you achieve your big goals, it can give you an extra boost,” he said. “Of course, the pressure can increase, but I had the feeling that a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. We already saw it in the Roland Garros final, where he managed to overcome very difficult moments. Once that burden was gone, I expected it to have a positive effect."

The coach had a feeling that Wimbledon could also be a catalyst for more success. Previously having never made it past the fourth round, his final run showcases the consistency and class Zverev possesses on court.

"That's why I found his statement after the Wimbledon final particularly significant: he said that at 29, he believed for the first time that he could win the tournament,” he repeated. “I think those words came straight from the heart. He finally realised that grass can perfectly suit his game."

Kohlmann was in no doubt that the big two of the prior couple of years was now expanding with a new member swiftly joining the fray. "I never thought he was very far from them," he commented. "But in recent years, Sinner and Alcaraz had a slight edge, especially because they won the most important matches and often the head-to-head encounters.

“I feel like he has joined them. Even better: I think that over the last two months, he has even been slightly superior at times."

Zverev has proved himself a worthy competitor over the years, unfortunate to never have a patch where he was the dominant force in the sport thanks to the reign of the ‘Big Three’ being so closely followed by Sinner and Alcaraz taking over.

If he is going to be compared to those two, then he may need to start getting some wins over them soon. The last time he defeated either of them was in the round robin of the 2024 ATP Finals, taking down Alcaraz in straight sets.

It is even more grim reading when compared to Sinner. The 2023 US Open was his last win against the current world number one, losing 10 consecutive matches which includes five this year. There is no doubt that Zverev is one of the best players in the world, but whether he is on par with Sinner and Alcaraz is a different story. For one, he has the titles and results to show for it, but his head to head form is not for the faint hearted.