Alcaraz v Zverev: Head to head, stats, quotes: Everything you need to know about their rivalry – updated after 2024 Indian Wells quarter-final
The Spaniard and German have already played each other nine times on the ATP Tour
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Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have been busy building an intriguing rivalry over the past few years and the pair look set to meet many more times in the future.
What is the head to head between Alcaraz and Zverev?
Alcaraz and Zverev have met nine times on the ATP Tour, with all their meetings coming in the past three years, which is not surprising seeing as Alcaraz is still only 20. Zverev leads 5-4 overall.
Zverev won the first two matches between the two, pretty handily, before Alcaraz won their first final, winning the Madrid Masters in the process. Zverev then won a classic at Roland-Garros before the Spaniard won the next two, including a straight-sets victory in the quarters at the US Open last time out.
However, Zverev then got his revenge at the 2023 ATP Finals, beating Alcaraz in three sets in their opening group match and went on to beat Alcaraz in stunning fashion at the Australian Open in 2024.
The Spaniard reasserted himself in the quarter-finals of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open, though, defeating Zverev handily in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
Here is the full list:
2024 Indian Wells QF – Outdoor hard – Won by Alcaraz 6-3, 6-1
2024 Australian Open QF – Outdoor hard – Won by Zverev 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4
2023 ATP Finals RR – Indoor hard – Won by Zverev (3) 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
2023 US Open QF – Outdoor hard – Won by Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 6-4
2023 Madrid Masters R16 – Outdoor clay – Won by Alcaraz 6-1, 6-2
2022 Roland Garros QF – Outdoor clay – Won by Zverev 6-4 6-4 ,4-6, 7-6 (7)
2022 Madrid Masters F – Outdoor clay – Won by Alcaraz 6-3, 6-1
2021 Vienna SF – Indoor hard SF – Won by Zverev 6-3, 6-3
2021 Acapulco R32 – Outdoor Hard – Won by Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1
What is their best battle to date?
Little question that their quarter-final at Roland-Garros in 2022 stands head and shoulders above the rest. A lot was expected of Alcaraz as he was bursting through toward the top of the game but he found Zverev in his best form, the German edging it in four sets to reach the semi-finals.
How many titles have Alcaraz and Zverev won?
Alcaraz has won 12 titles in his young career, including two of the biggest ones, the US Open in 2022, when he also became the youngest man to hold the No 1 ranking, and then added a second slam title when he famously beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2023. His first title came in Umag in 2021.
Zverev, who is six years older than Alcaraz, has won 21 titles, but has yet to win a Grand Slam title. He came close at the US Open in 2020, when he led Dominic Thiem by two sets to love only to go down in five. His first title came in St Petersburg in 2016 and his most recent win was in Chengdu in 2023.
What have they said about each other?
Alcaraz said Zverev’s level of tennis when they played at the US Open was of the highest order.
“Watching the level Sascha (Zverev) was playing in the first set and being able to win was great for me,” he said.
Zverev was confident in his assessment of Alcaraz after they played each other in Madrid, when the Spaniard took advantage of a fatigued Zverev, who had finished his semi-final late the previous night.
“Right now you are the best player in the world even though you are still five years old – you are still beating us all,” he said. “It’s great to see for tennis that we have such a new superstar who is going to win so many Grand Slams and is going to be world No 1. I think you are going to win this tournament many more times.”
