Although the Australian Open hasn’t really started yet, it’s already a lot of fun for everyone involved. In the preliminary program of the Grand Slam tournament, the tennis stars met Australian amateurs in a fun event called “1 Point Slam” and were happy when they lost the only and decisive point of the match.
At the edge of the pitch, the professional colleagues cheered and cheered. The spectators at the Rod Laver Arena were similarly thrilled on Friday as the tennis world’s most popular retiree showed that he was playing as beautifully and smoothly as ever.
The 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner Roger Federer did the honors and trained for almost an hour in the classic style with the Norwegian Casper Ruud. The Swiss, who ended his career in September 2022, even won a tiebreak against the thirteenth in the world rankings thanks to impressive points.
Alexander Zverev also had fun at the “Happy Slam” in Melbourne. Especially in the exhibition tournament against the amateurs, when the German even had fun with his somewhat liked rival Daniil Medvedev. However, when Zverev faced the media in Melbourne on Friday, his mood was no longer in the best. On the one hand, he was angry because certain journalists had spread “some rumors” about his private life.
On the other hand, Zverev was tense because things are now getting serious about the new tennis year, which he hopes will be better than the previous one. Despite “what felt like ten injuries,” he held out until the end of the season in 2025 and defended third place in the world rankings: “I can be a little proud of that,” said the twenty-eight-year-old two days before his first Australian Open appearance after losing the final a year ago.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominate
At that time, Zverev was contrite when he realized how big the performance gap was between him and the final winner Jannik Sinner. The German seemed shocked and disillusioned because perhaps the Grand Slam title he longed for would no longer come to fruition.
As the year progressed, the difference between the two top performers, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev and the rest of the world, solidified. After all, the German could take credit for being in the only Grand Slam final in 2025 in which the Italian and the Spaniard did not duel.
“I’m trying to play my best tennis and compete against the big guys,” said Zverev for his twelfth participation in the Australian Open. He has the feeling that he is fit and has trained well in the last few days: “I am ready to go on the pitch on Sunday.”
Zverev should definitely be ready, both physically and mentally, when he takes part in the second match of the opening day, around three a.m. German time (Eurosport). His opponent Gabriel Diallo is one of the most unpleasant that a seeded player like Zverev could catch at the start. The Canadian is 24 years old and, at 2.03 meters, is even taller than the lanky guy from Hamburg.
A “huge game” for Zverev at the start
“He has a huge game, serves at 230 and can play very quickly from the baseline,” says Zverev, who has not yet met the Canadian. What he also said: “If I play my game and am in the best shape, then I am also a difficult lot for everyone.” As confident as the words should seem, one should be able to assume that being third in the world rankings represents a challenge for the opponents.
Diallo not only has a tough serve and plays the power tennis that is common today from the baseline. He also has a diverse family background: his mother Iryna comes from Ukraine, his father Moubassirou from Guinea; together they left the collapsed Soviet Union in 1991 to start anew in Canada. In 2001, son Gabriel was born in Montreal while his parents made ends meet with unloved, moderately paid jobs. Diallo explained that he puts so much effort into being a tennis professional as “my way of giving something back to them.”
The Canadian has been toughened by college tennis since turning heads as a student at the University of Kentucky. The currently 41st in the world rankings won his only professional title on the ATP tour to date six months ago on the grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Zverev has won 24 tournaments and goes into the match as the favorite, including for Boris Becker. The Eurosport expert, who recently often criticized his compatriot for not bringing new expertise into the coaching team, does not write off Zverev. He “has the chance again to show us all,” said Becker. Well then, have fun.
