Alexander Zverev came into the Montreal Open on Saturday with a new title on his résumé and a familiar target on his back. The 29-year-old trained at the Canadiens de Montréal center in Brossard before his first match at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers, even taking shots on an improvised court that was half ice.
On Sunday, Zverev said the unusual setup was no problem. “C’était génial,” he said. “Très bien organisé.” For a player who returned to Canada as the favorite for the second consecutive year, the stop in Brossard was less a novelty than the first step of another title defense of sorts, this time after breaking through with his first Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros.
That Paris run had been a long time coming. Zverev had lost his first three major finals before winning at Roland-Garros in five sets against Flavio Cobolli, a result he called “C’est une grande satisfaction, c’est sûr.” He added that he had waited a long time for the title and was happy to have finally won it. The victory changed the tone around him, but it also removed a burden that had hung over his career for years.
The relief did not mean the pressure disappeared. Zverev said he was still highly motivated and wanted to reach the top of the world ranking, even after admitting that the circumstances of his Roland-Garros run had left him “assez stressé.” He then reached another final at Wimbledon, where Jannik Sinner beat him in four sets, a reminder that the new champion is still chasing the biggest prizes while trying to hold onto the momentum that brought him to Montreal.
That makes this week feel like more than a routine return. Zverev won the Montreal title in 2017 by beating Roger Federer, and he is back with a first-round bye before facing either Lorenzo Sonego or Tallon Griekspoor in his opening match. Two of their last three meetings went beyond three hours, which is exactly the sort of detail that can turn a quiet entry into a demanding one. For Zverev, Montreal opens with the confidence of a major winner and the unfinished business of a player still hunting the world No. 1 spot.
