Alexander Zverev is in need of a strong performance in Munich, having struggled for form recently.
When Zverev reached the final of the Australian Open in January, many expected him to kick on and achieve big things in 2025.
Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, that hasn’t quite happened, as he has failed to reach an ATP semi-final in each of his last six tournaments.
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Zverev’s latest defeat at the Monte-Carlo Masters saw him hand over the world number two ranking to Carlos Alcaraz, a shock considering many tipped him to reach the top spot in Jannik Sinner’s absence.
Now returning home for the ATP 500 tournament in Munich, Zverev has just secured an impressive win against a ‘complicated’ opponent on his way to the quarterfinals.
Zverev beat his fellow German Daniel Altmaier in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, to book his place in the last eight of the Bavarian Open.
Speaking after the match, Zverev explained why Altmaier is such a tricky opponent for the best players in men’s tennis.
“He [Daniel Altmaier] makes it complicated,” said Zverev.
“He has beaten a lot of good players, a lot of top players, he’s beaten [Jannik] Sinner before, beaten me before, so he knows how to make it complicated.
“His shots may seem off at times but he knows how to make it extremely complicated for the top guys, where we feel like we’re not feeling the ball quite well.
“I’m happy with the win, definitely, and looking forward to the next few matches.”
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Ranked 68th in the world, Altmaier has scored four top-ten wins during his career to date.
Zverev then reflected on his first two matches at the 2025 Bavarian Open, comparing his performances.
“Against Alexandre [Muller] in the first round I felt like the ball from the ground was extremely well on my racket and he gave me incredible rhythm,” he said.
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“Daniel doesn’t give you that at all, he doesn’t give you a rhythm at all, I maybe played from the baseline a bit worse today, but I served better today.
“I came into the net better, I was finding solutions even better, so there’s a lot of positives to take and I’m looking forward to Friday.”
Zverev will take on Dutch star Tallon Griekspoor in the quarterfinals, the man who handed him a devastating defeat just one month ago.
The German was the heavy favorite when he took on Griekspoor in his opening match at Indian Wells last month.
Zverev had won six of his last seven meetings with the 28-year-old and was the number one seed for the event.
MatchWinnerLoserScore2024 Paris Masters – 2RAlexander ZverevTallon Griekspoor7-6, 6-32024 Shanghai Masters – 3RAlexander ZverevTallon Griekspoor7-6, 2-6, 7-62024 French Open – 3RAlexander ZverevTallon Griekspoor3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-62024 Indian Wells – 3RAlexander ZverevTallon Griekspoor7-6, 6-32023 Canadian Open – 1RAlexander ZverevTallon Griekspoor6-4, 7-62023 Rotterdam Open – 2RTallon GriekspoorAlexander Zverev4-6, 6-3, 6-42021 Wimbledon – 1RAlexander ZverevTallon Griekspoor6-3, 6-4, 6-1
Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor’s head-to-head record (Pre-Indian Wells)
It looked like Zverev was set for another win over Griekspoor when he won the first set 6-4 before the Dutchman fought back.
Battling through in a thriller, Griekspoor beat Zverev, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, to secure his place in the third round at Indian Wells.
Griekspoor went on to enjoy a strong tournament in California, reaching his first career Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
The world number 37 will no doubt hope to secure a third career victory over Zverev when they face off on Friday, April 18.
