Mar 7, 2025; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Alexander Zverev (GER) reacts after missing a shot against Tallon Griekspoor (not pictured) in his second round match during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Well Tennis Garden.

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Andy Roddick Compares Alexander Zverev’s Current Condition to Himself When He Faced Roger Federer!

The American remembered his battles with Roger Federer while explaining the German's struggles.

With Jannik Sinner out of the picture for the time being, Alexander Zverev now headlines the ATP circuit. For numerous years now, the German has been among the names that could potentially win a Grand Slam. For whatever reason however, he hasn’t managed to clear the final obstacle. According to American legend, there’s a certain reason for this – something that he self-admittedly struggled with himself.

With 23 ATP Tour titles, Zverev is a proven match-winner. He has a current and career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world, and has been the finalist in three major tournaments. The 27-year-old also has an Olympic gold medal to his name; he beat the likes of Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov en route to attaining glory at Tokyo 2020. Yet, something seems to be missing.

Andy Roddick on Alexander Zverev and His Personal ‘Roger Federer Problem’

When one compares Andy Roddick with Alexander Zverev, there are certain glaring similarities. For the longest time, the American also faced issues clearing the final hurdle. Speaking with Kim Clijsters on his Served podcast, Roddick had an intriguing analysis of Zverev.

“I was in this mode for a while where 100% of my focus was adjusting my game to try to beat Roger [Federer],” Andy claimed.

A struggle Andy knows a thing or two about. Full conversation in our latest episode! 🎾🎥 pic.twitter.com/xhroF9IFmz
— Served with Andy Roddick (@Served_Podcast) March 20, 2025

The now 42-year-old had a mediocre 3-21 head-to-head record against the Swiss maestro. A lot of these results coming in the deeper end of tournaments meant that Roddick had to model his game around overcoming the Federer hurdle. “There’s only a handful of people on earth right now who can expose him [Zverev],” Roddick continued whilst relating Sascha to himself. “But he has to fix that thing in order to get to the thing that he needs.”

One of the talking points about Zverev’s game has been his forehand. According to the 2003 US Open champion, while the “pot shot” forehand might work against a vast majority of the tour, he needs to make changes in order to overcome the likes of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Clijsters, who was outspoken about Zverev’s dejected reaction after losing the 2025 Australian Open earlier this year, agreed.

World No. 2 Zverev Gears Up for Miami Open After Indian Wells Disappointment

Alexander Zverev suffered a shock defeat in the 2025 Indian Wells Round of 64, losing to Tallon Griekspoor. This was the third consecutive shock defeat for the German, having lost to Francisco Comesana and Learner Tien in Rio and Mexico respectively. Nonetheless, Zverev is looking forward to the tournament in Florida.

“Miami is my favourite city in the United States,” he said at a media roundtable. “I genuinely love spending time here. The conditions are just probably more suited for me [than Indian Wells]. The courts are a lot faster. It’s more humid, so the ball stops through the air maybe a bit more than in the desert.”

Can Zverev bounce back and reassure his fans that the talk about his last form is merely white noise? Let’s wait and watch.

Alexander Zverev

Andy Roddick

ATP

Roger Federer

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.