SEPT 19 - 21, 2025 | SAN FRANCISCO
Alexander Zverev’s career has unfolded in tandem with his Laver Cup journey. The German star heads to San Francisco for his sixth appearance with Team Europe, bringing with him the confidence of a six-time champion under former Captain Bjorn Borg. A proven closer, Zverev has delivered some of Team Europe’s most decisive victories and owns a formidable 7–2 singles record — the best in Laver Cup history.
How it’s going
Zverev – known to his friends as ‘Sasha’ – has been a Grand Slam singles contender since arriving on the tennis scene with a top 100 ranking 10 years ago, aged 18. He has since captured a whopping 24 titles, including this year in Munich, where he defeated American Ben Shelton in the final.
Zverev reached his first Australian Open final in January and held a place in the top 3 with solid results throughout the season across all surfaces. He charged to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and was runner-up to Team World’s Taylor Fritz at Stuttgart. Other highlights include a semifinal at Halle and the ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati.
The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist is a seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, earning his last Masters title at Rome in 2024.
The appeal of Laver Cup
“I’ve been there from the first year,” Zverev said of his motivation to play Laver Cup. “From the first year in Prague, the intensity was so high. Everybody was pushing each other so much.”
Zverev was in the hot seat to play the deciding match in Chicago and Geneva and shone last year in Berlin when he was required to win the third singles match on Sunday against Frances Tiafoe, which he did despite feeling unwell throughout the weekend. “It’s a great moment for me,” he said. “Something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Winning that match against Tiafoe on the last day, it was very special to me.”
“The atmosphere is always electric,” the 28-year-old said. “The fans are really into the whole concept. It’s going to be no different than San Francisco this year.”
Zverev was one of the youngest players in Team Europe back in Prague, mentored by greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Now, he is one of the oldest and will be mentoring rookies Holger Rune, Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik. “We have a lot of new guys, a lot of fresh faces,” he noted. “Hopefull,y I can guide them a little bit towards what the Laver Cup actually means. And the emotions that they’re going to feel on the court.”
Looking ahead to San Francisco
Widely regarded as a leader within the Team Europe squad, Zverev is eager to lend his experience to rookie Captain Yannick Noah and Vice Captain Tim Henman. “I think it’s going to be very different with Yannick,” he noted, pointing to the contrast in style between the charismatic Frenchman and his predecessor, Borg.
No one knows how much strategy plays in winning the Laver Cup better than Zverev, what doubles combinations to go with, and what order to field players for singles. “Success is key, especially in doubles,” he said. “Me, Casper and Carlos kind of talked already, what it can look like. I feel like there’s one team that really sticks out for Team Europe, who should definitely play together.”
That’s as much as the experienced German will reveal. What he does emphasize, however, is the privilege of competing alongside the very players who are usually across the net from him. For Zverev, the chance to be supported by some of the best in the world — fierce rivals on Tour but trusted teammates at Laver Cup — is what makes the event so special.
“When do you ever get the opportunity to be world number three, number two, world number one is with you giving advice? That doesn’t happen because normally you want to beat those guys. But now, they’re teammates. So, it is very special as I said, it’s a very different atmosphere that in other tournaments. It’s one of the most fun weeks and I think everybody will enjoy it.”
