Alexander Zverev was reduced to tears after being beaten by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open 2025 men’s singles final on Sunday night.
The 27-year-old buried his head in his hands following a straight-sets loss at Rod Laver Arena, having advanced to the tournament decider when Novak Djokovic retired injured from their semifinal on Friday.
The match pitted the top two seeds of the men’s competition against each other, but Zverev admitted he was outplayed in his third Grand Slam final loss.
“Jannik is better than me at the moment. It’s as simple as that,” Zverev said.
“I think I serve better than Jannik, and everything else he does better. At the end of the day, he deserves to win. He’s the best player on hardcourts right now.
MORE: Sinner v Zverev men’s singles final match stats
“I didn’t stop fighting, I didn’t stop believing, but then in the third set I thought he outplayed me more than in the other sets.”
“I was quite down; I was quite emotional also in that stage,” Zverev recalled. “I think he saw that. He said that I will definitely lift one of those trophies in my career and I’m too good not to – that’s his words.
“It was a little bit of a tough moment for me because I really went to that final, and also the preparation today, I really thought I had a very good chance because I was feeling good, I was feeling the ball quite well, I was feeling like I could compete.
“It was a difficult moment for me,” Zverev continued, “now, for the third time, seeing somebody lift the trophy and me standing next to that is difficult because there’s nothing more I want than to be able to hold one of those trophies in my hands.”
Sinner consoled Zverev as the pair waited for the podium ceremony to commence at centre court. The now two-time AO champion faced his German rival, placing his hands on his shoulders before offering a few words of reassurance.
Zverev has vowed to return to the AO and try to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup himself next season.
“I'm doing everything I can. I'm working as hard as I ever did. I think I'm doing all the right things off-court. I think I'm practising the right things, but I lost in straight sets today,” he said,
“I don't want to end my career as the best player of all time to never win a Grand Slam, that's for sure. I'll keep doing everything I can to lift one of those trophies.”