Alexander Zverev made plenty of waves with his bold claim that he is on the same level as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, with Jannik Sinner in a league of his own. Andy Roddick has now weighed in on the German’s controversial take.
Zverev suffered yet another defeat to Sinner this past weekend, losing 1-6, 2-6 in the final of the Madrid Open. This was the 29-year-old’s fourth defeat to the Italian over the last six weeks.
Andy Roddick Shares Take On Alexander Zverev’s Level Amid Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Comparison
Roddick reacted to Zverev’s statement on the latest episode of his Served podcast. The American former tennis player did not agree with Zverev’s claim that Alcaraz was a rung below Sinner in terms of performance and level.
“I don’t think I’m ready to take the leap where there’s a gap between Sinner and Alcaraz that sizable, which I think was kind of what Zverev was saying. I don’t see a grouping of one and then three. I see a grouping of two and then two, and then the rest, generally speaking,” Roddick said.
But Roddick did partially agree with Zverev’s statement and felt that matchups can make a big difference in tennis. He also hailed the German for being self-aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
“But he’s not wrong. Matchups matter. Would Novak rather play Sinner or Alcaraz right now? As tennis players, we are experts at lying to ourselves. Zverev… he’s so eyes-wide-open. He knows his career will be defined by if he can win the last two matches of a Slam,” he added.
Roddick then compared Sinner to AI and spoke about how the Italian continues to get better with every match.
“Carlos is more of an artist, and sometimes the brush goes wonky. But when it all goes together, it’s the greatest thing you’ve ever seen. Sinner is an algorithm; it’s like input-output. It’s incredible. He’s like AI. It’s like, ‘Oh, I learned this new thing. So I have the answers quicker.’ He’s changing and morphing in real time.”
Sinner has dominated proceedings on the ATP Tour this year and is currently on a run of 23 matches without defeat. He has won each of the last five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and is now gunning to add to his unprecedented feat at the Italian Open.
MORE: Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev: Who Has the Tougher Italian Open Draw?
Meanwhile, Alcaraz is currently sidelined with a wrist injury and will miss the rest of the clay-court season. The Spaniard started his season strong by winning the Australian Open and holds a 10-7 head-to-head lead against Sinner.
At their most recent meeting in the Monte-Carlo Masters final, Sinner claimed a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win.
