Alexander Zverev joins Federer, Nadal and Djokovic with milestone

Alexander Zverev moved into the Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals after getting past Joao Fonseca.

Alexander Zverev was pushed to three sets by rising teenager João Fonseca, but ultimately came through to secure his place in the semi-finals. Despite advancing, the German admitted his performance was not at its best, though he remained encouraged by his progress on clay.

The win also saw Zverev reach a notable milestone, joining an exclusive group that includes Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal as the only players to achieve the same feat.

Zverev Reaches New Milestone With Monte Carlo Semi-Final

Alexander Zverev has reached his 10th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on clay, according to OptaAce. Only three players have achieved this since 1990: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer.

Zverev’s name now sits alongside three of the sport’s biggest names. Nadal leads the group with an astonishing 37 appearances in Masters event semi-finals.

Djokovic is next in line with 28, while Federer made it to 19 semis over his career. Zverev will likely have his eye on closing that gap.

Still just 28, there’s time for him to climb even higher up that list as he continues through the second half of his career.

Alexander Zverev gets another chance to end a rough run against Jannik Sinner

This will be the third straight Masters semi-final where Zverev faces the same opponent. Sinner has had his number in recent meetings, having also won their semi-final matchups at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Zverev’s struggles against Sinner go beyond just this year. The German hasn’t beaten him since their five-set clash at the 2023 US Open, where Zverev came out on top in the round of 16.

Since then, it’s been a tough stretch. Zverev has lost seven straight matches to Sinner, including defeats at the Australian Open and ATP Finals.

Sinner currently holds an 8-4 advantage in their head-to-head record heading into this one.

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