“I think this is the most open Wimbledon Championship that we maybe had in 20 years” Alexander Zverev anticipates wide-open draw

Alexander Zverev declared that Wimbledon will have the most open draw in the last 20 years. At the All England Club, the world No. 4 has never surpassed the round of 16 and hopes to achieve a better run this year after his historic campaign to his second Grand Slam final at the recent French Open.

According to Zverev, it will be an open draw and a good opportunity for the rest of the players, considering Roger Federer's retirement in 2022, Rafael Nadal resting, and both Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray arriving with physical issues.

The German tennis player arrived at Wimbledon after competing in the ATP 500 Halle Open, where he reached the semifinals but fell to the 5th seed Hubert Hurkacz. Despite the loss, Zverev left a good impression on grass and will be one of the favorites at Wimbledon, considering his impressive streak of 15 wins in his last 17 matches.

"I think this is the most open Wimbledon Championship that we maybe had in 20 years in terms of favorites, in terms of potential winners," said Zverev. "I think there's multiple guys who have a very decent chance of going deep and a very decent chance of winning the tournament.

"I don't think it has been like that for maybe 20 years since before Roger started playing, right? After Roger came Rafa, Novak, Andy. I really feel it's different this year,” the 2-time Grand Slam runner-up said.

Since Lleyton Hewitt claimed the title in 2002, the tournament was dominated by Federer (eight titles) and Djokovic (seven titles). Additionally, Nadal and Murray each won two titles, while the most recent champion at SW19 was Carlos Alcaraz in 2023.

"It's the first time I really feel like I'm here to be a competitor, to maybe win the title," said Zverev. "I didn't feel like that in previous years when I came here. I didn't feel like I was capable. I didn't believe I was capable. This is a tournament where maybe I need a bit more luck and maybe a few things to go my way, a few things to happen," he added.

"More than maybe at other Grand Slams. If those things all come into place, if all those things maybe go my way for once, do I believe I can win? Then yes, I can."

Once his Wimbledon campaign is over, Zverev will quickly return to Roland Garros for the Olympic Games, aiming to defend the gold medal he won in Tokyo 2020: "The Olympics is probably the most difficult trophy to win in tennis for us because we have that tournament once every four years," said Zverev. "If you're not performing during that week, you have to wait another four years. Where at Grand Slams or other events, we have multiple per year."