The Sunshine Doubles is tennis’ own version of March Madness—and when it comes to basketball, Alexander Zverev knows who he wants on the court.
In another life, the German may have been the latest in a long line of successful basketball players from his country rather than tennis. Speaking on the Tennis Channel desk at Hard Rock Stadium, Zverev said he played a lot while growing up in Florida as a student at the Saddlebrook Tennis Academy, honing his jump shot just as much as his groundstrokes.
A big fan of the Miami Heat (and a close friend of Jimmy Butler, who was famously traded to the Golden State Warriors in February), Zverev didn’t hestiate when asked by Prakash Amritraj to name the best ballers on tour.
“Best on tour is Nick Kyrgios,” Zverev declared. And the rest of his starting five?
“I’ll put Chris Eubanks, I think he plays good basketball. I’ll put Thanasi Kokkinakis, I’ll put Reilly Opelka for size, and myself, if I can say that.”