Alexander Zverev has lost eight matches in a row against Jannik Sinner, but he is hoping to make life “a bit more difficult” for the world No 1 when they face each other in the Madrid Open final.
Two-time Madrid champion Zverev beat surprise package Alexander Blockx 6-2, 7-5 to reach the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event for a fourth time following his title runs in 2018 and 2020 and his runners-up trophy in 2021.
“I am very happy to be in the final,” the second seed said. “There were a lot of tough battles, especially at the start of the tournament. I am looking forward to playing Jannik again and looking forward to a tough match. The better player will win on Sunday.”
Sinner blitzed Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 to reach his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 final as he won the Paris Masters last November and followed it up with trophies at this year’s Indian Wells Open, Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters.
The Italian, who has now won 27 consecutive ATP 1000 matches, is looking to become the first man to win four consecutive Masters events as, although Novak Djokovic won five titles in a row, he missed one ATP 1000 tournament during that run.
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Given Sinner’s form and his record against Zverev, few would bet against the 24-year-old as the German’s last win was back in 2023 at the US Open.
Zverev led the head-to-head rivalry 4-1 at that stage, but eight matches later and it reads 9-4 in the Italian’s favour with his most recent win a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the semi-final in Indian Wells.
When asked about Sinner, the German replied: “He is quite a relaxed guy and he is enjoying tennis right now.
“I think tennis is very easy for him right now, the way he is playing. Maybe on Sunday I will make it a bit more difficult for him… The last eight times I didn’t win much. He is the best player in the world for sure and I will try to give him a tough battle.”
With Carlos Alcaraz ruled out of the Italian Open and French Open, Sinner is the hot favourite to make a clean sweep at the major events on clay.
At the start of the year, he hadn’t won an ATP Masters 1000 event on the surface, now he is one win away from making it two titles with the Rome and Roland Garros tournaments still to come.
After reaching his first final in Madrid, the top seed said: “Of course, I’m very happy to play my first final here, it means a lot to me. It has been an amazing tournament again. Whatever happens on Sunday, in any case, it has been a great tournament.”