Mischa Zverev knows his younger brother better than anyone else.
Mischa, who is 10 years older than Alexander, also known as Sascha, has been part sibling, part parent throughout Alexander’s life and tennis career.
When Sascha was 6, Mischa took him with her while competing in a satellite tournament in Australia, spanked him after the game and gave him a ride on her shoulder on the way home from the beach. Now the younger brother is ranked No. 2 in the world, has reached the finals of the French Open and US Open, won Olympic gold and is set to appear in his seventh ATP Finals. He also won his seventh ATP Masters 1000 event last week at the Rolex Paris Masters.
He has suffered off-court over the past few years, including now-settled domestic violence charges and an on-court outburst during his 2022 loss, which resulted in him being fined and placed on probation by the ATP.
“I know what I did, and I know what I didn’t do,” he said before the charges were confirmed this spring. “Whatever comes out in the end, I have to trust it.”
Zverev, 27, won the ATP Finals in 2018 with back-to-back wins over Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and again in 2021 with a win over Daniil Medvedev in the final. The indoor tournament, which begins Sunday in Turin, Italy, suits his style well.
“No wind, no sun, nothing to distract me too much,” Zverev said last September. “I like to play 100% from the first game. And it helps build on past success in tournaments. That’s something you can keep in your mind.”
Grigor Dimitrov has lost to Zverev in seven of their nine meetings but beat him at the Miami Open in March.
“Sascha is a very complete player,” Dimitrov said. “I don’t think there are many people who can match him on the backhand cross. He is also one of the most patient players and you know he will never give up.”
This season has been up and down for Zverev, especially in the major leagues. He upset Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open, but lost to Medvedev after winning two sets. He defeated Rafael Nadal at the last French Open and advanced to the finals, but lost to Alcaraz after leading 1-1 in the second set.
At Wimbledon, Zverev fractured his left tibia where it meets his knee, but still lost a two-set lead over Taylor Fritz in the round of 16. Before losing to Fritz in the US Open quarterfinals, Zverev was diagnosed with pneumonia. He said he felt exhausted in the weeks that followed.
Zverev knows he doesn’t have a Grand Slam title. Shortly after winning the 2021 Olympic gold medal, he lost again to Dominic Thiem in the US Open final after holding a two-set lead. His brother admitted his struggles were more mental than physical.
“It’s not his game, his groundstrokes, his forehands or his backhands,” Mischa said. “The results are decided in your head. I don’t want to call it a mental problem or weakness. But there is a solution. There are no secrets. He has all the information. “He just has to take what he wants.”
Zverev said time is on his side and he must remain optimistic.
“I learned to enjoy the game of tennis, the losses and the wins,” he said. “I had a lot of anxiety when I was young. I thought, ‘When will this happen, when will I win?’ Now I enjoy being here.”
Zverev said his family found out he had type 1 diabetes when he started playing tennis at age 3. His mother, Irina, was worried about her son’s athletic ability. It was Misha who calmed her fears.
“I said, ‘Don’t worry, he’ll be No. 1 in the world. He’ll be a Grand Slam champion.’” Misha recalled what he had told his mother. And how did big brother know that?
“Because special people have special missions in life.” Misha said. “And his job is to achieve it all and show everyone that it is possible.”
