The most hours on court, but very little to show for it: Alexander Zverev commitment in 2025 not rewarded

A lot of tennis was competed in 2025. With a whole host of events on offer throughout the year, the star players on the ATP Circuit wanted to make their impact. While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were the standout players on court, they were pipped by Alexander Zverev for the most hours on court in 2025.

The German played in a whole host of events in 2025 but could not convert a lot of this into success in a slightly disappointing campaign. In total, Zverev played 82 matches and totalled up 164 hours on court. This included ATP matches, Davis Cup and exhibition events. While Alcaraz played more matches on the ATP Circuit, he overall played two less matches than the world number three, culminating with 80 with Felix Auger-Aliassime in third.

On average, Zverev spent two hours per match competing. This was due to times where he was dragged into a real tussle, sometimes unable to get over the line in specific contests. This was despite possessing the undeniable quality he owns that has not seemed to be unlocked to its fullest.

It seemed that it had been at the start of the year after he reached a third Grand Slam final in the Australian Open. However, he was no match for the former world number one Jannik Sinner who comfortably regained the title. Hungry to use this momentum positively, he made the trip to South America to compete in the Golden Swing. Ironically, in both the Argentina Open and Rio Open, he squandered a set advantage against Francisco Cerundolo. He followed it up with a round-of-16 defeat in Acapulco before exiting the first Masters 1000 event of the year at the first hurdle, losing to Tallon Griekspoor in the Indian Wells Open.

These were followed by damaging defeats in the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters. It looked like his form would swing in the right direction after he overcame the competition in his home country to win the Bavarian Championships for the third time. Despite this brilliant title, his clay swing did not take off. The other Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome brought just one quarter-final appearance while his title defence in Hamburg never got going. He battled hard at the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros, but could not find a way past Novak Djokovic in the last-eight.

He had dropped down to third in the world after Alcaraz had been winning events for fun. This could have been the case for Zverev in a much more positive grass season. He lost in the Stuttgart Open final to Taylor Fritz before being prevented of back-to-back finals by Daniil Medvedev in the Halle Open. High expectations were placed on his shoulders at Wimbledon but these came crashing down after losing a five-set clash against Arthur Rinderknech in the first-round. His first opening-round major exit since 2019.

His season did pick up in the North American hardcourt swing. He reached the semi-finals of both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, but once more failing to get over the line. The 28-year-old would end his Grand Slam's in 2025 in the third-round of the US Open after losing out to eventual semi-finalist Auger-Aliassime. He switched it up by competing in the Laver Cup, losing both matches as Team Europe lost their crown. There were little positives to take out of Asia after two events in China resulted in a single quarter-final appearance. After losing out to Fritz in the Six Kings Slam, he once more found his mojo in Europe. He reached the final of the Vienna Open but lost to Jannik Sinner. The same fate would occur in the Paris Masters, but he only managed one game in that matchup.

He prevailed in just one of the three group stage ties in the ATP Tour Finals, resulting in him failing to make it out of the group for the second time in three years. He would finish his season in Bologna where he helped Germany reach the semi-finals of the Davis Cup Finals. While he won both his singles matches, Germany lost out to Spain in the doubles. Overall, that is a lot of fixtures Zverev has competed in. And what does he have to show for it? One title, three final defeats and another missed opportunity to clinch a Grand Slam. He will be hoping that 2026 is a turning point.