“Steffi Graf’s an absolute hero” – Alexander Zverev picks German legend as his dream mixed doubles partner

July 21, 2025

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In a recent interview, Alexander Zverev expressed his desire to play with or against Steffi Graf. Zverev is gearing up for the upcoming events of the 2025 tennis season.

Zverev was last seen in action at Wimbledon, which did not pan out as expected. He faced an early exit after being bested by Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the tournament. Rinderknech showcased his dominance against the German in the five-set match and progressed to the next round with a score of 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4.

Shortly after this heartbreak, Zverev sat for an interview with the digital creator Gareth Richman and revealed the name of the player he would want to play with or against in tournaments. The 28-year-old has faced several renowned players, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and more.

However, in the interview, he revealed that he wants to share the court with Steffi Graf and called her a hero.

“I played against and with Roger Federer. I played doubles with him and singles against him. That was the dream when I was growing up, for sure. It was surreal when I played doubles with him. I would love to play with Steffi Graf. It would have been so much fun. She’s an absolute hero, an absolute legend. I would have loved that experience to play against her or with her," said Alexander Zverev.

Ahead of Wimbledon, Zverev competed at the French Open, losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Alexander Zverev opened up about social media abuse ahead of his French Open campaign

Before his French Open campaign, Alexander Zverev expressed concerns about tennis players facing social media abuse. The German said that tennis players receive a lot of hate through direct and hidden messages.

"These days, social media is more important than anything else. We get a lot of hate. For us tennis players, the insults we are exposed to daily online and on social media are extreme, because a lot of it happens via hidden messages, direct messages and the like," Alexander Zverev said.

Adding to this, he opened up about being sick during his recent Hamburg Open campaign; however, he did not withdraw from the tournament to avoid criticism and certain accusations from his followers.

"If I had withdrawn (from Hamburg), I would have been accused of many things. I would probably have been accused of just taking the money and leaving after one match. That I wasn't taking the tournament seriously, and so on. But that's not true; I lost because I was sick. Tennis has a strong culture of blame among fans and also on social media," he added.

Alexander Zverev is expected to make a major coaching change by joining Rafael Nadal's uncle, Toni Nadal, after his Wimbledon upset.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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