Opportunity Knocks For Zverev As Clay Swing Begins

The 2026 clay-court swing looms as a period of opportunity for World No. 3 Alexander Zverev.

The 28-year-old German has 1260 points to defend through Roland Garros, far fewer than the 2550 he earned in 2024. Last year he won the ATP 500 in Munich but went no further than the quarter-finals at ATP Masters 1000 level or at Roland Garros.

Hence the chance to consolidate his grip on the World No. 3 PIF ATP Ranking and possibly, just possibly, start to close the gap on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have a stranglehold on the Top 2 spots.

Coming off back-to-back Masters 1000 semi-finals in Indian Wells and Miami, where it took Jannik Sinner to stop him both times, Zverev should feel good about his chances.

“It was positive, but of course I’d like to win the event,” Zverev said of his recent run in the U.S. “In Miami especially I felt that I played really good tennis and the match with Jannik was possibly closer than the score suggested. But he won both tournaments playing unbelievable tennis and he’s the best player on hard court for sure at the moment. He deserved everything.

“The things I have worked on are paying off: More of an aggressive style and taking on the game myself. We’re onto the clay now and I hope to play good tennis here in Monte-Carlo.”

Zverev counts two Madrid and two Rome titles among his 24 career trophies. He also reached the Roland Garros final in 2024. But he is yet to reach the Monte-Carlo championship match and has a modest 3-3 record since reaching his second semi-final in the Principality in 2022.

After Miami Zverev put down the racquets for three days and then began training on clay at the Monte-Carlo Country Club last Tuesday.

“We don’t have that much time to get ready for the tournament, but that’s a positive thing because it means that you’ve played well in Miami. Hopefully I can show good tennis here.

“Clay-court tennis has been part of my life from a very young age and maybe it’s more natural for me than some others. But after a long time [off the surface] you still need to get used to it, get used to the shots you are making and playing a different way. But ball speed is something I’ve worked on, and I can still use that on clay.”

Zverev opens his campaign against the winner of qualifier Cristian Garin or lucky loser Matteo Arnaldi.