New world No.1 Zverev confirms Davis Cup, rules out United Cup and calls the calendar “nonsense”
Days before he becomes world No. 1, Alexander Zverev confirmed in Vienna that he will play the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna but ruled out the United Cup as “simply impossible.” The German called the calendar “nonsense,” said he has been saying so for 10 years, and warned that player discontent will keep growing.
Alexander Zverev, Vienna 2026 | © Fröhlich Pascal/Psnewz
Alexander Zverev is about to begin his reign as world No. 1 with a complaint about the hours. Days before he replaces Jannik Sinner at the top of the rankings on Nov. 2, the German confirmed in Vienna that he is heading for the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, ruled out the United Cup and called the tennis calendar “nonsense.”
“I’m not playing the United Cup 2027 (1-10 January), because it’s simply impossible for me,” Zverev said at the Erste Bank Open on Friday, after reaching the semifinals. “If I go on vacation, I can basically fly straight from the vacation to Australia. At some point it’s nonsense. But I’ve been saying that for ten years and nothing changes.”
His reasoning starts with the Davis Cup. “This year, if I play the Davis Cup, we play almost into December,” he said. “And if I’d played the United Cup, I’d have to play my first match at the end of December.” Germany captain Michael Kohlmann has named Zverev for the Final 8, Nov. 24-29, alongside Jan-Lennard Struff, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz. Germany face Great Britain in the quarterfinals on Nov. 26.
On Thursday night, after clinching No. 1, Zverev listed three big events still ahead of him: a Masters, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup. “There are still big goals ahead of me,” he said.
Improving it is relatively simple: we should play two or three weeks less in the season and have more time.
His fix is short. “Improving it is relatively simple,” Zverev said. “As I’ve said many times, I think we should play two or three weeks less in the season and have more time, first to rest our bodies and second to build them up. I’m someone who really likes doing a lot of physical work.” A day earlier, he said he spends five to six hours a day on fitness during his four-week December block, and an hour or so on tennis.
He reaches No. 1 in a season his two main rivals spent half of on the sidelines. Carlos Alcaraz missed about four and a half months between April and August with a wrist injury, which cost him Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. Sinner has not played since he beat Zverev in the Wimbledon final in July, and in October he ended his season because of a knee problem.
His comeback is set for the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, Dec. 27-30.
Zverev: “The wrong direction for us at the moment”
Zverev believes the discontent is spreading. “I think players are talking about it a bit more right now, expressing more dissatisfaction,” he said. “I think more and more of that will come. In my view, it’s unfortunately going in the wrong direction for us at the moment.”
Alcaraz used the same words on Oct. 8, two days after defending his Japan Open title. He told Sky Sports the schedule was “going in the wrong direction” and blamed the ATP for “pushing us too much,” calling it one reason players get injured.
The ATP has made changes for 2026. It added a break in the schedule after Wimbledon and cut the number of mandatory ATP 500 events from five to four. But many Masters 1000 events now run longer, leaving less recovery time between tournaments, and the season still stretches across nearly 11 months.
Zverev’s own run continues on Saturday in the Vienna semifinals, with Paris to follow on Tuesday or Wednesday against the winner of one of the highlights of the first round: Lorenzo Musetti or Hubert Hurkacz.
