In Bologna, amid the electric tension that always lingers around the Davis Cup, Alexander Zverev walked into the press room expecting the usual mix of curiosity and routine questions. But what he didn’t expect was a direct shot at his credibility. When a reporter questioned his motivation to represent Germany at the Davis Cup, Zverev didn’t hesitate. He pushed past all the doubts to share his true motivation to take part in this team event for the first time in two years.

Zverev last played at the Davis Cup in 2023, winning one of his two singles matches against Switzerland. But surprisingly, this time before starting his campaign at this event, he slammed the new Davis Cup format as a “waste of time,” and even called it an “exhibition tournament.” So, highlighting his previous comments about the tournament, when a reporter at the pre-match press conference at the 2025 Davis Cup asked him, “Sascha, what makes you come here? You call it an exhibition in Torino. Still happy to be here? You want to play for your country? Are you happy to be here?” He replied, “Judging by how you asked the question, I guess you want to have an answer that you can write about.”

The room shifted. Cameras clicked faster. Journalists leaned in. It was a direct challenge – not to his tennis, but to his integrity. Then, with a measured stare and a tone sharpened by years of scrutiny, he spoke about the real motivation that pushed him to take part in this iconic event. Alexander Zverev added, “I’m very happy to be with this team. I said it before. The only reason I’m here is because of this team. I still say, and I will keep saying, that I prefer the old format of the Davis Cup. I always said it, and I will continue saying it. I think it was history. I think it was a big part of playing the home and away matches.”

Zverev has vast experience in this tournament. He has played around 14 singles matches at the Davis Cup throughout his career and won 9 of them. But let me tell you, he isn’t the only one to raise a red flag about this new format. Previously, we’ve also seen players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz calling for a major change in this tournament. So, this has been a burning topic recently in the tennis world. But what really motivated Zverev to put his name in this tournament once again was the “love” for his team. 

He further added, “I also love this team. I understand everybody’s not getting younger. We all want to have success together. We only have a couple more years left to do that within this formation. This is why I’m here. I truly believe that we have a great team. I truly believe we have a team that we can win this thing with. I’m looking forward to competing together with these guys.”

This wasn’t the voice of a reluctant participant. This was a leader guarding his team’s unity. Despite the noise surrounding him, Alexander Zverev doubled down on his faith in Germany’s potential, and let me tell you… His words reaffirm that this isn’t a man forced into national duty. This is an athlete choosing purpose over preference. But what do his teammates have to say about their chances at the Davis Cup Finals this year?

Alexander Zverev’s teammates share their thoughts about their preparation for the mega event

If we take a look back, the 2025 season was supposed to be Alexander Zverev’s moment of reconquest – a chance to silence critics, strengthen his claim as a perennial title contender, and prove that the player who once hovered at the edge of Grand Slam glory was still very much alive. However, despite starting the season with a bang, reaching the final at the AO, he finished the year with just one title triumph. So, while sharing thoughts about his performance in this season, he stated, “For me, an incredibly unsatisfying season. The tennis season is long, you have a lot of ups and downs. For me, there were not many ups. I think for me, the Australian Open final, Munich… Everything else, I’m very unsatisfied.”

But the 28-year-old German could well wrap up the season in a much more satisfying manner if he manages to help his team win the title at the 2025 Davis Cup. Well, inspired by Jannik Sinner’s impressive performance in the previous two editions, Zverev looks forward to putting his best foot forward when Germany takes on Argentina in the QFs.

Even the captain, Michael Kohlmann, stated, “The team is very good. I think preparations are well. The site is perfect. Conditions are very nice…” With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from this team event, Kohlmann says, “We have the best-ranked singles players in our team. But if you look at all the other teams, they are great, great players, if you combine the rankings of the second singles players.” He believes every match in this tournament is really going to be tough, but at the same time, the captain also assured the German fans that they will do everything to win the title for their nation.

Who all are there in the team, though?

TEAM GERMANY:

• Michael Kohlmann (Captain)
• Alexander Zverev
• Jan-Lennard Struff
• Yannick Hanfmann
• Kevis Krawietz
• Tim Putz

When another of Alexander Zverev’s teammates, Struff, was asked about what it would mean to win the Davis Cup, he said it would surely mean a lot, but for now, they want to take one match at a time. Do you think Zverev can lead Germany to a victory against Argentina in the upcoming battle in Bologna?