STILL COURTING MAJOR SUCCESS

Zverev 'optimistic' about winning maiden Grand Slam title after trials on and off court

Mischa Zverev knows his little brother better than anyone.

A decade older than Alexander, 27, who is also known as Sascha, Mischa has served as part-sibling, part-parent throughout Alexander's life and tennis career.

When Sascha was six, Mischa took him along while he was playing satellite tournaments in Australia, hitting with him after his matches and letting him ride on his shoulders on the way home from the beach.

Now the little brother is ranked No. 2 in the world, reached the French and US Open finals, won an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and is about to play in his seventh ATP Finals. He also won his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title on Nov 3 at the Paris Masters.

Sascha has had his off-court travails over the last several years, including settled charges of domestic abuse and an on-court outburst during a loss in 2022, for which he was fined and placed on probation by the ATP.

"I do know what I did, I do know what I didn't do," the German said this spring before the charges were settled. "At the end of the day, what's going to come out, I have to trust in that."