On the court, Alexander Zverev (29) just experienced the greatest moment of his career: winning the French Open, his first Grand Slam title. But in an interview with Frauke Ludowig (62) for her RTL format "Frauke trifft...", suddenly hardly anything revolves around tennis anymore. The world number three talks about mental low points, about his love for Sophia Thomalla (36), and about a wish that apparently means at least as much to him as any trophy.
"I want a huge family", Zverev tells RTL. He leaves open when this might happen, referring with a smile to his partner: "You'll have to ask Sophia about that." But the tennis star also struck serious notes in the conversation. For many, Zverev was long considered the cool, controlled professional. In early 2025, however, the 29-year-old struggled with mental problems that he later made public.
Alexander Zverev: "I was also a difficult person"
"My parents, my coaching team, and also my partner, they all saw it and they kept asking me: 'What's wrong?'", Zverev recalls. Bad moods were his constant companion. He openly admits: "And yes, I was also a difficult person. It wasn't nice to be around me."
Today he's doing much better, also thanks to therapy. But Thomalla also played a big part in that. The tennis star and the TV host have been a couple for almost five years, and both actually keep their private life largely out of the public eye.
Alexander Zverev: "Of course, I love her"
"Of course, I love her", says the French Open winner without hesitation. "I have incredible respect for her, because for me she is one of the smartest people I've ever met." He is particularly impressed by her sense of timing: "She knows when you want to be left alone. She also knows when support should be there. For me, she's an incredible help when it comes to my life as well."
Zverev, who already has a daughter from a previous relationship, is now also thinking intensively about life after tennis. He believes family and career can be combined well, even though both are aware that two professional paths would need to be organized. Thomalla travels a lot as a TV host, among other things. "I think that one of us would have to do a little less then", he says. But he definitely doesn't want to put any pressure on his partner.
