Alexander Zverev hoping to break Grand Slam duck despite 'big gap' to Jannik Sinner

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zverev-alexander/dGbUhw9m/"]Zverev[/a], 29, will get another ‌chance at Roland Garros, where he will chalk up a 41st Grand Slam main draw appearance. ‌With one sizeable hurdle removed, he may not get a better ‌one.[/p][p]The world number three will be seeded second following the withdrawal of defending ‌champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Carlos Alcaraz[/a] and while he still faces a daunting task, ‌he is capable of a deep run.[/p][p]Few players have been as consistent on the Parisian red clay as Zverev. After successive semi-final appearances between 2021 and 2023 he reached ‌the final in 2024 only to lose to ⁠Alcaraz. Last year he bowed out ‌in the quarter-finals to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Novak Djokovic[/a].[/p][p]Zverev possesses a damaging first serve and backhand and ​moves serenely on clay. The dilemma though is how he can convince himself that his time is still to come.[/p][p]While he ​would not have to contend with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Sinner[/a] until the final, the mere presence of the Italian in the draw is enough to darken his ⁠mood. Four times he has ​faced Sinner this season and four times he has shaken hands defeated, without winning a set.[/p][image alt="Sinner vs Zverev last-four head-to-head record" id="89be7bdc-4a74-42ee-9b6a-38c5c0433ea8" credit-line="Enetpulse" guid="2509779e-b06f-4bbb-b625-cb0eb6abfc2e" original-width="1080" original-height="1350" /][h2]'Big gap between Sinner and everybody else'[/h2][p]After the most recent beating, in the Madrid final when he won only three games, Zverev spelled ‌out the problem.[/p][p][b]"It's not like I'm the only one losing to him. I'm just losing to him more because I get to him every single time and I lose to him. So it's like that,"[/b] he said.[/p][p]"I think there's a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now. It's quite simple."[/p][p]Zverev suffered from fatigue at the Italian Open where he lost to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/darderi-luciano/jeXTxMIp/"]Luciano Darderi[/a] in the last 16 and pulled out of his home city tournament in Hamburg with a back niggle.[/p][p]He will need to ‌be firing on all cylinders if he has any hope of breaking ​through the glass ceiling and might secretly be hoping world number ‌one Sinner's relentless run of form will end before June 7 -- the date of the men's final.[/p][p]Publicly, however, he remains hopeful that even if he crosses paths with the Italian again he can find the key.[/p][p][b]"I do have to believe that I'm capable of beating ⁠him. I do have to believe ⁠it, otherwise we can just ‌give him the trophy without playing the tournament,"[/b] Zverev said.[/p]