Tennis legend Mats Wilander has sent a warning to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz about what could happen if Alexander Zverev wins the 2026 French Open.
World No 3 Zverev is widely considered to be one of the best players not to win a Grand Slam, but he is one win away from securing an elusive maiden major title.
In what promises to be a career-defining match for Zverev, he will face world No 14 Flavio Cobolli in the championship match at Roland Garros.
The 29-year-old German holds a 0-3 record in Grand Slam finals, while Cobolli will be competing in his first-ever major title match.
In his column for French newspaper L’Equipe, Wilander lauded Zverev for implementing a more aggressive playing style in 2026.
“Until recently, the way Sascha Zverev won most of his points was: forehand down the court, then I’d make the difference with the backhand,” said the seven-time Grand Slam winner.
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“There was also his serve, of course. But basically, when the ball was in play, he ended up winning because he didn’t miss with his forehand and, ultimately, his backhand was just too good.
“Now that’s changed. Suddenly, he’s winning points in different ways. And to be able to do that, you have to be really flexible mentally. You have to really want to win, more than people realise.
“Because when you change, it’s so easy for your mind to drift and think, ‘Yeah, I know I should do this, but I don’t really feel it anymore.’ And he seems to feel it. He really does.”
Prior to the French Open, Alcaraz and Sinner had won the last nine majors between them since the start of 2024.
Wilander, a former world No 1, went on to make the bold claim that Zverev could form a new ‘Big Three’ with Alcaraz and Sinner.
“Jannik and Carlitos might want to be careful,” assessed the Swede.
“He (Zverev) is so strong and solid that if he’s able to integrate these changes and implement everything, with that serve on top of that, he’s going to be very difficult to beat.
“And we could soon start talking about a Big Three, where he would definitely have a place. If he wins this Sunday, it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins five or six more (Grand Slams).”
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The post Roland Garros: ‘Sinner and Alcaraz need to be careful – Zverev could win 5 or 6 more Grand Slams’ appeared first on Tennis365.
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