Alexander Zverev’s elite longevity reaches 373 weeks — but the Grand Slam gap remains

Alexander Zverev boasts a career that will place him among the best players of the last two decades, with 8 seasons finishing inside the Top 10—five of them in the Top 4—and a total of 24 ATP-level titles, in addition to 16 finals.

Added to his Gold Medal at Tokyo 2020, he has collected seven Masters 1000 titles and two ATP Finals trophies. The German’s achievements position him as a standout name of the recent era, during which only his first Grand Slam title has remained elusive—a feat that seems increasingly complicated as the years go by.

In fact, the three-time Grand Slam finalist reached 373 weeks as a Top 10 tennis player this week. It is an enviable achievement, yet it situates him as the player with the most weeks inside the Top 10 without winning a Grand Slam title, surpassing the Czech Tomas Berdych just a few weeks ago.

Zverev first reached the Top 10 in May 2017, shortly after winning the Italian Open at just 20 years old. It was his first Masters 1000 title, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final, as well as rivals like Fabio Fognini, Milos Raonic, and John Isner along the way.

The German quickly made a name for himself among the players of the future and did not leave the Top 10 for more than five years. Around 2022, a memorable injury suffered in the Roland Garros semifinals against Rafael Nadal forced Zverev to undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, losing his spot in the Top 10 five months after being sidelined, eventually finishing the year as World No. 12.

It took Zverev nearly 10 months to return to the Top 10 after returning to the courts post-injury. Since then, he has remained among the best, displaying his consistency by staying inside the Top 3 throughout 2025. He closed the year trailing only Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

The German's numbers rank him as one of the most outstanding players of recent decades, though he remains overshadowed by his lack of a Grand Slam title. While in his early years he seemed a worthy successor to the dominance of the "Big 3," the longevity of Nadal and Djokovic—and the emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz in recent years—have prevented Zverev from claiming what was expected of him. Despite always remaining among the best, he has yet to secure his first major.

He reached his first final at the US Open 2020, but ended up falling to Dominic Thiem, squandering a two-set lead and several breaks up to close out the win, before the Austrian achieved an epic comeback. Zverev also reached the finals at Roland Garros 2024 and the Australian Open 2025, but fell in both instances to Alcaraz and Sinner, respectively.

To date, Zverev holds a 113-39 record in Grand Slam tournaments, reaching at least the quarterfinals 15 times: consisting of 6 quarterfinal losses, 6 semifinal losses, and 3 defeats in the final.

His 373 weeks as a Top 10 player leave him as the player with the most time in the elite group without securing the title, surpassing Tomas Berdych (369 weeks), the Spaniard David Ferrer (358), the Russian Nikolay Davydenko (268), and the Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

This upcoming 2026 season will be a new opportunity for Zverev, who at 28 years old remains competitive and a candidate in Grand Slam tournaments. However, he will face the difficult mission of overcoming the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner—champions of the last 8 consecutive majors—and the drive of 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, who refuses to give up the fight to add a new major to his record.