Jimmy Connors has message for Alexander Zverev after his recent success, ‘I am just going to say this’

Alexander Zverev is enjoying the greatest season of his career as a professional tennis player.

The German, once labelled the best player in history to never win a major, finally captured his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros earlier this year. With the proverbial monkey off his back, Zverev smashed his personal best result at Wimbledon by reaching the final, before going on to secure a second major title at the US Open.

Zverev’s triumphs have meant he is now in a position to become the world number one for the first time in his career. He would be the first German man to reach the top spot in the rankings since Boris Becker in 1991.

As Zverev starts to chase down Jannik Sinner for world number one status on the Asian swing, tennis legend Jimmy Connors had a message for the 29-year-old.

Speaking on his podcast, Advantage Connors, the eight-time major champion said: “I want to say congratulations to Sascha. What a summer he has had. From winning the French to the finals of Wimbledon, to winning the US Open. That has made his career.

“I am just going to say this, we were at times a bit critical of him because we thought he should have won some Grand Slams and he had the opportunities but did not come through. But boy did he come through this summer and I was very happy for him.

“I think one guy who is going to need some time off is Zverev. Keep winning and you’ll be number one, is my thoughts. He has put out such an effort to get where he has gotten right now, he is going to need to take a breath and let himself heal physically and mentally.”

Despite his success at Grand Slams, Zverev has not managed to go all the way at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament in 2026. He started off the Masters series this year with three consecutive semifinal defeats in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo.

All of those losses were handed to him by Sinner, who beat Zverev again in the final of the Madrid Open. Zverev was knocked out in the fourth round of the Italian Open and suffered his worst result at the Canadian Open, a second-round exit.

Zverev’s most recent run at a Masters event came at the Cincinnati Open, where he was beaten in the fourth round. He has just two remaining ATP 1000 tournaments to play in 2026: the Shanghai Masters and the Paris Masters.

This article first appeared on The Tennis Gazette and was syndicated with permission.