Why 🐱 ProfessionalTennisCircuit picked: DEBATE: Was 2021 Zverev actually better than 2026 Zverev?

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Source: reddit.com

<!-- SC_OFF --><p>To be clear, this is not a 'shit on Zverev's accomplishments this season' post. I think when you get down to the numbers this is actually quite an interesting comparison.</p> <p>Some numbers: </p> 2021 2026 Peak ranking World no 3 World no 1 Titles 6 (Olympics, WTF, 2 Masters, 2 500s) 2 (2 Majors) Overall record 56-15 (78.9%) 62-16 (79.4%) Record vs Top 10 11-8 (wins over Djokovic x2, Nadal, Medvedev, Thiem, Tsitsipas x2) 3-7 (not inc. Laver Cup) Record vs Top 50 36-13 38-13 Losses vs players ranked 51+ 2 (#107 Ivashka, #83 Ruusvuori) 3 (#69 Griekspoor, #89 Kecmanovic, #83 Hurkacz) Major finishes QF, SF, R4, SF SF, W, F, W Record at majors vs top 10 0-3 (losses to Djokovic x2 & Tsitsipas 2-2 (wins over Shelton & Fritz, losses to Alcaraz & Sinner) Peak Elo (via Tennis Abstract) 2153 2107 <p>I had his serve/return stats from ATP but as it doesn't let you filter by 2026 specifically (only last 52 weeks which includes the end of 2025), I didn't want to include them and give a misleading stat (basically, he's serving quite a bit better in 2026, but returning quite a bit better in 2021).</p> <p>Basically the only thing that puts Zverev over the top this season vs 2021 is his record at the majors, which is inflated by some fortunate draws where he didn't have to face many top players, whereas in 2021 he consistently did. </p> <p>What do you guys think?</p> <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ok_Helicopter_7816" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank"> /u/Ok_Helicopter_7816 </a> <br/> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1xa2cxa/debate_was_2021_zverev_actually_better_than_2026/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">[link]</a> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1xa2cxa/debate_was_2021_zverev_actually_better_than_2026/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">[comments]</a>