Diallo on facing new coaching staff Zverev and why ‘margins are getting smaller’ | ATP Tour

everything adds up

Diallo on facing new coaching staff with Zverev and why ‘margins are getting smaller’

Canadian talks to ATPTour.com ahead of first major of season

January 17, 2026

Gabriel Diallo has never trained or competed with world number three Alexander Zverev, who has been at the top of the ATP Tour since before the Canadian went to university. But the 24-year-old is flying higher than ever and is excited to step onto the court at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday to take on the two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion.

“I’m grateful that I get to play in a Grand Slam, on one of the biggest courts against one of the best players in the world. So those are all added bonuses,” Diallo told ATPTour.com. “We train hard and try to get ourselves in a position to compete in these types of tournaments. We get to play tennis and compete in these types of tournaments. So I’m really excited and looking forward to it.”

A year ago, Zverev reached the final at Melbourne Park for the first time after reaching the semi-finals twice. The German has failed to reach the fourth round only once since 2019.

“He’s very consistent. First of all, from a backcourt and performance standpoint, he’s been in the top 10 for I don’t know how many years. And then, obviously in terms of his game, he has a great serve, a great backhand, a solid forehand,” Diallo said. “So I have to get creative. If I want to give myself some chance to win, I have to give it to him. At the end of the day, I think it’s another game for me, it’s another learning experience.”

Diallo is currently studying a lot. He parted company with long-time coach Martin Laurenteau and began working with Jonas Bjorkmann and Johan Ortgren.

“Now the whole Swedish delegation is here,” Diallo said with a smile. “I’m excited to see where this will take me and am extremely grateful for the time I’ve spent with Marty over the past five years. From the time I was in college until now, we’ve had a great run. He will always be close to me and hold a special place in my heart.”

Ortgren is also a professional tennis player, while Bjorkman stands out for being ranked fourth in the PIF ATP rankings and first in doubles.

“It’s been really good. He’s just come to Adelaide so it’s the first time I’ve seen him there. But yeah, so far it’s been really good. Learned a lot,” Diallo said. “He has a wealth of expertise and as a player he’s exactly who I aspire to be. So it’s a great opportunity to learn from him and work with him and I’m excited to see where it takes me.”

The world’s No. 1 is on a good path. A year ago, he was ranked 86th and participated in the Australian Open main draw for the first time. Now one of Melbourne’s most dangerous unseeded players, Diallo is coming off a season in which he lifted the trophy in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Madrid.

“My goal was to be in the top 50 and I managed to achieve that. I had some really good results. Won my first title, in the big quarter of the Masters,” Diallo said. “So it’s just [want to] Build on this foundation and maintain this momentum throughout 2026 and keep improving. We marked the areas where I needed to improve in order to make the next leap, the details and margins were getting smaller and smaller, but these were the things that were going to have a huge impact. “