Alexander Zverev has advanced to his first Wimbledon final, but one of the most crucial members of his entourage will not be in attendance. The German confirmed after his semi-final win that his grandmother, who was present during his run to the French Open title last month, is unable to travel to London because of a visa problem tied to her nationality. 

“She doesn’t have a visa. She unfortunately has a Russian passport still,” he explained in the press conference. “I know that our counsellor is coming to the final so maybe he can help with a passport or a longer visa for her. Then she can stay a bit longer.” 

His grandmother had to return home after her permitted 90-day stay expired as per visa regulations, and Zverev is now hopeful that someone within his circle might be able to help resolve the situation for future events. 

Her presence in Paris was clearly important to him, and Zverev spoke warmly about how much he appreciated her being there during the title run. That Roland Garros win was his first Grand Slam of his career, made even more meaningful by having close family present. In such a special moment again, he hopes to have her in the crowd. 

The visa issue also fed into one of the quirkier revelations of the day, concerning Zverev’s own habits during major tournaments. When a reporter asked whether he would at least receive a good luck message before the final from his grandmother, Zverev revealed he would have no way of doing so easily. 

“Well, my phone is off so I don’t tend to speak to anyone, to be honest,” he said. “My phone has been off for years during slams. My phone is never on during slams.”

Zverev booked his place in Sunday’s final with a controlled 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 win over British wildcard Arthur Fery. This ended the home favorite’s fairytale run to reach a Grand Slam final for the fifth time in his career, and the first at the one major that has consistently eluded him. It caps a remarkable season for the world No. 3, who now has the chance to become just the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the Roland Garros and Wimbledon double in the same year.

Sascha will be needing all his concentration on Sunday, as he takes on the defending champion, Jannik Sinner. The Italian defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, with a flawless performance on the center court. Now, the matchup between the two could hardly be more daunting for the German, who has now lost his last nine meetings against Sinner and four times already this year. Although the pair will face each other for the first time on grass on Sunday.

The German has already proved some of the statistics wrong that were against him in this Championship. Like his quarterfinal bout against sixth seed Taylor Fritz, where the American had won the last seven of their previous meetings, but Sascha blew him off in straight sets this time.

Alexander Zverev and Sinner have been the two most successful players on tour this season, holding the top two spots in terms of match wins in 2026. Moreover, since winning the French Open, the 29-year-old has looked like a different player, making him a tough contender for the title.