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Alexander Zverev engaged in a light-hearted moment with the former Real Madrid icon, Toni Kroos, wishing to hire the $25 million-worth personality as his coach. Kroos visited Zverev at the 2025 Madrid Open, where the latter is vying for his first Masters 1000 title of the season.
Zverev entered the Caja Mágica as the top-seeded player, securing wins over Spaniards Roberto Bautista Agut and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and advancing to the Round of 16. As he gears up to battle it out with Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina, he was surprised by his fellow countryman and one of the most decorated football midfielders, Toni Kroos.
The former Real Madrid star watched Zverev's match from the player's box and later met him in the tunnel of the locker room. The friends from different sporting backgrounds embraced, and the latter signed a couple of his rackets while Kroos handed over a Real Madrid jersey with a message, reading:
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"To my friend Sascha. Best of luck. Your fan, Toni."
In a recent Instagram story, the 2025 Australian Open finalist shared a picture with Kroos and apologised to his former team, Real Madrid, captioning:
"Sorry @realmadrid, I'm taking him as a coach. So no come back to you guys."
Kroos has won 34 trophies over 17 years of his career, making him the most decorated German footballer in history.
Alexander Zverev aims to sit on top as World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings
Zverev currently sits in the second position in the ATP Rankings, behind World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. He has been rallying to take the top spot and even got close to achieving it at the 2022 French Open, but an ankle injury forced him out. Reflecting on that and shedding light on his future plans, the 28-year-old said:
"I was one match away from world number one before the injury. But I’m again competing for big events, the best spots in our sport. I feared that I might not be able to do that again. I was never sure to be back at this level. I’ve been close on multiple occasions for a first Grand Slam title. But I want to stay healthy and fit, that is the main goal." (via Sportstar)
In the third round of the Madrid Open, Alexander Zverev got involved in a controversy when a match point was awarded to his opponent, Davidovich, but his sliced backhand shot landed out of the line. The German pulled out his phone to challenge the electronic line's decision and even got warned for the same.
