Many eyes will be on Alexander Zverev at the BMW Open 2025 by Bitpanda - which is being held as an ATP 500 tournament for the first time this year.
The two-time champion has a long history with this event, which characterised the early stages of his career. After his doubles title in 2017 and 2018, Zverev now returns to Munich as the No. 2 in the ATP rankings - can he complete the hat-trick?
A look back...
2017: Zverev's first triumph in Munich
After an impressive run to the semi-finals in 2016, Zverev came to Munich the following year to make his mark on home soil. Seeded third, Zverev saved his best performance of the week for the final, in which he defeated qualifier Guido Pella 6-4, 6-3 to triumph on German soil for the first time in his young career. The first title in Munich - and the first on clay - drew the fans' attention to the versatility and potential of the then 20-year-old on this surface.
Two weeks after his third title in Munich, Zverev won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome, where he beat world number two Novak Djokovic in the final. With his success in the Italian capital, he underlined his skills on the clay court in the first few years of his professional career.
2018: A dazzling double
In 2018, Zverev had established himself in the top 5 of the ATP rankings. As a six-time tour champion, who made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals after an outstanding 2017 season, Zverev already belonged to the sport's elite. Could the German make a successful title defence on his return to Munich?
After four three-set duels on his way to the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, Zverev started the ATP 250 clay court tournament and only had to concede defeat to Yannick Hanfmann in the first set tie-break in his opening match in Munich. However, this was nothing more than an extended warm-up for the defending champion, as he did not concede another set from then on and secured the title.
In an all-German final, Zverev defeated three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber to successfully defend a title at tour level for the first time. Zverev took the momentum from Munich with him and extended his winning streak to 13 matches on European clay, including a title at the Masters 1000 in Madrid and a place in the final in Rome, where he was defeated by Rafael Nadal.
2025: Hat trick in sight?
After failing to reach the quarter-finals or earlier in each of his previous five appearances in Munich, Zverev wants to find his luck again as the top seed.
The American number 3, Ben Shelton, seeded number two in Munich, is far away in the field for the time being. Another player to keep an eye on is Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, who has a 2:0 lead in the direct comparison with Zverev.
Regardless of his opponent, Zverev has good memories of his titles in Munich.
Source: ATP
