Before Jannik Sinner even stepped on the court against Alex de Minaur in the Vienna ATP 500 semifinals, you kind of knew how it would go. The Italian world number two has been on operating on another level this season, and sure enough, he took the match 6-3, 6-4, reaching his eighth final of the year. He also extended his head-to-head record against de Minaur to 12-0. But the moment the match ended, everyone started asking the big question: who will challenge him in the final?

The spotlight fell on Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti, whose paths hadn’t crossed yet in this tournament. After a tense semifinal battle, on the 25th of October, the answer became clear: Zverev would be Sinner’s opponent in the final, after beating Musetti in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. But how does Zverev feel about facing Sinner? Let’s hear from him.

Just recently, The Tennis Letter shared a post on X where Zverev was asked about facing Jannik Sinner: “First time since Australia facing Jannik. How big is this gonna be?” He replied, “I feel like that’s mostly my fault. He’s been in almost every final possible, and I haven’t. It’s going to be a great challenge. I’m looking forward to it—playing one of the two best players in the world will really show me where my level is.” In retrospect, Zverev has only made it to the Erste Bank Open final in Vienna once, in 2021, when he defeated Frances Tiafoe to win the championship. He is returning this time with some significant firepower.

He became only the eighth active player to reach the 300-hard-court victory milestone at the tour level after defeating Musetti in the semi-final. His hard-court record now reads an impressive 300-134. The performance itself was clinical. Firing nine aces and winning 83% of his first-serve points, Zverev didn’t face a single break point.

This victory also gave him his third Top 10 win of the season, joining previous wins over No. 7 Djokovic at the Australian Open and No. 6 Shelton in Cincinnati. With this, he’s heading into his 40th tour-level final, aiming to add to his 24 trophies. But will he win the finals?

Inside the Jannik Sinner-Zverev rivalry

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev have faced each other seven times, with Zverev holding a slight edge in the head-to-head at 4-3. Their battles have taken place across different surfaces and stages of tournaments. Many of their matches have been nail-biters, often going to deciding sets or tiebreaks.

In fact, out of six tiebreaks, each player has won three. Some of their encounters stand out more than others. In the 2023 US Open Round of 16, Zverev edged out Sinner in a five-set, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. However, Sinner’s redemption came in the 2025 Australian Open Final, where he won his third Grand Slam title in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Not only was the tennis in that final memorable, but Zverev was clearly upset after losing, and a fan jeered him about previous accusations during the trophy presentation, saying, “Australia believes Olya and Brenda.”Jannik Sinner, showing real sportsmanship, consoled him, and Zverev later admitted, “I’m just not good enough – it is as simple as that,”  acknowledging Sinner’s superior performance. However, their rivalry has also seen some off-court tension.

In October 2025, Zverev publicly claimed that tournament organizers had slowed down court surfaces to favor players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner responded calmly, stating, “You know, me and Carlos, we don’t make the courts. It’s not our decision. We try to adapt ourselves in every situation,” making it clear that players have no control over such things. These exchanges show the intense nature of their rivalry, but there’s no real personal animosity between them, just two top players pushing each other to be better.