After winning his first-round match at the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev faced an unusual question from a fan in the stands who extended a marriage proposal to the German. He also had a hilarious post-match interview with compatriot Andrea Petkovic.
Ahead of the Melbourne Major, Zverev represented Germany at the 2026 United Cup. In the group stage, he defeated the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor and then lost to Hubert Hurkacz, whose Polish team went on to win the tournament.
Alexander Zverev Has Hilarious Interview With Andrea Petkovic at Australian Open, Gets Marriage Proposal From Fan
At the 2026 Australian Open, Zverev is seeded third and began his campaign against Gabriel Diallo in the first round, defeating him with a scoreline of 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. Following his victory, the former World No. 2 participated in a post-match on-court interview with Petkovic.
During the interview, Zverev noticed a fan in the stands holding a placard that read “Marry me, Sascha.” In response, Zverev jokingly asked the fan where the ring was, remarking that he is not “cheap” enough to accept a proposal without one.
“Where the ring, man? I am believing myself. I still want a ring otherwise not that cheap,” Zverev said.
As the interview continued, Zverev lightheartedly stated that he and Petkovic are “incapable” of conducting a serious on-court interview as they both struggle to act “normal.” This led Petkovic to comment that she had genuinely tried to conduct a “professional interview,” but it just wasn’t meant to be.
“We are incapable of doing one on court interview which is just normal are we?” Zverev expressed.
“Did you see how serious I began? I really tried to give a professional interview,” Petkovic said.
After Petkovic expressed her efforts to maintain professionalism, Zverev playfully suggested that she should never attempt to conduct a serious interview with him, as it would never work out.
“Don’t ever. I’ve learned the lesson. It’s not going to work out ever between us on the court,” Zverev said.
Following their conversation, Zverev hugged Petkovic, prompting her to exclaim, “Okay, now I’m sweaty too. That was not planned.”
Who Will Alexander Zverev Face at the 2026 Australian Open 2R?
Following his victory over Diallo in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open, Zverev is set to face either Alexei Popyrin or Alexandre Müller in the second round of the tournament.
Zverev and Popyrin have met four times on the ATP Tour, with the German winning all four encounters. Their most recent match-up was in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Canadian Open, where Zverev triumphed with a score =line of 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3.
On the other hand, Zverev and Müller have faced each other three times on the ATP Tour, with the former World No. 2 winning two of those matches. Their latest meeting was in the second round of the 2025 Hamburg Open, where Müller won with a scoreline of 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5).
The winner of the second-round match between Zverev and either Popyrin or Müller at the 2026 Australian Open will advance to face Emilio Nava, the 26th seed Cameron Norrie, or Benjamin Bonzi in the third round of the tournament.