"Hopefully I can get 500 more": Alexander Zverev celebrates milestone moment after gritty win in Toronto

Alexander Zverev has overcome a couple of tough rounds at the start of the Canadian Open and is now in the round of 16 after reaching his 500th professional victory by defeating Matteo Arnaldi (32th seed) 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2. The German had previously beaten the Australian Adam Walton 7-6(6), 6-4.

Despite having fallen a step behind Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in recent months, Zverev continues to prove that he has a deserved place at the top. With a decade of consistency and great results, the German has become the first player of his generation to reach the 500-win milestone.

The world No. 3 is the first seed of the tournament and is preparing to face Francisco Cerúndolo (14th), one of the rivals who has given him the most trouble. In fact, the Argentine has a favorable 3-0 head-to-head record against Zverev, with two of those wins coming this season at the Argentina Open and Madrid Open. However, this will be their first duel on hardcourts.

The German has had an outstanding career, with a total of 24 titles and reaching 15 other finals. He has reached three Grand Slam finals but has yet to lift the trophy. However, his list of accomplishments includes 7 Masters 1000 titles and two ATP Finals, as well as the gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

Zverev became the 57th player to surpass 500 victories at the ATP level, 111 of which were in Grand Slam tournaments. In that time, the German has secured 169 wins on clay, 45 on grass, and 286 on hardcourts. At the Canadian Open, he now has a 14-5 record, a tournament he won back in 2017.

After getting the victory against Arnaldi, Zverev became the 5th active player to surpass 500 wins. "Obviously, it's a great achievement in my professional career, not many players can say they have reached this number of victories, so for me it's impressive to have achieved it. Hopefully, I can get 500 more, I hope many more are yet to come."

"In the end, when you become a professional, you dream of playing on the tour and being successful among the best, winning as many matches as possible. The fact that I already have 500 victories is something that fills me with a lot of joy and satisfaction, I am extremely happy about it."

When asked if there was a special feeling about being the first player of his generation to achieve it, Zverev noted that no one else born in the 90s has reached that figure. The closest is Grigor Dimitrov, born in 1991, who has 476 wins. "Yes, it may be that I have been the first to reach this figure, but you have to be honest and admit that there are many players behind me who are also very close, such as Daniil Medvedev (404), Stefanos Tsitsipas (364), or Andrey Rublev (358)."

Zverev hopes to maintain his winning streak in the tournament and is preparing to face Cerúndolo for the third time this season. After three consecutive defeats against the Argentine, "Sascha" acknowledges that he still hasn't found the formula to beat the South American. "I don't know if it will be different, I hope so. To start with, the surface will already be different, since we are here on the hardcourt tour."

"The reality is that he has beaten me three times, and I'm still trying to figure out how to win a match against him, so I'll have to go on the court with a lot of confidence, reminding myself that if I'm the world No. 3, it's for a reason. I'll need my best version, that's for sure, so it's important to face this challenge with confidence, thinking that I'll be able to give my best."