Alexander Zverev hints at how many more years he plans to stay on tour before retiring

Alexander Zverev is starting to think about what comes next in his career, having just returned to the court for the first time since the Australian Open.

The world number four was set to make an earlier return but ended up pulling out of the Rotterdam Open.

In Acapulco, after a hard-fought win over Corentin Moutet in the opening round, Zverev spoke about how long he sees himself continuing on the tour.

Alexander Zverev shares ambitious plan to play on for 10 more years

Zverev took down Moutet 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the Mexican Open, a tournament he’s previously won back in 2021.

Following his return to form, Zverev spoke with Tennis TV during his post-match interview.

“Yeah really good, Corentin can be a tricky opponent,” Zverev said when asked about the match. “Especially if you haven’t played matches in a while like myself, so yeah definitely happy with the performance and looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Zverev also mentioned that he’d arrived early in Acapulco to get used to the conditions before play began.

“Acapulco is a very different tournament, especially with the surface and the weather,” said Zverev. “Yeah, it helps coming here early, it helps getting used to the conditions a bit more. Look today was a good match, I hope I can continue this way.”

Alexander Zverev outlines his plans to play until the age of 38

Zverev would be 38 years old, the same year as Novak Djokovic is now if he does follow his word and retire in 10 years, as he looks to obtain the Grand Slam title that has eluded his career so far.

The German has reached three Grand Slam finals in his career, but Zverev has been beaten in the championship match of the US Open (2020), French Open (2024) and Australian Open (2025).

Zverev’s best Grand Slam of the three has been the French Open, where he has won 79% of the 48 matches he’s played at Roland Garros.

Assuming that Zverev completes another ten seasons from now, he will have another 43 chances to play for a major title.

Zverev hasn’t advanced beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon in nine previous attempts, making it fair to question whether grass will ever be a realistic chance for him.

There is also age and physicality to consider. Even Djokovic, arguably one of tennis’ greatest athletes, began breaking down by this stage of his career.

With Roland Garros still a few months away, Zverev’s immediate focus is on building momentum ahead of Paris. He’ll look to take another step forward against Miomir Kecmanovic – an opponent he’s beaten twice in three previous meetings – in Acapulco.

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