Wimbledon star Alexander Zverev and girlfriend have already addressed eight-year age gap

Alexander Zverev and his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla have already addressed their age gap ahead of Wimbledon. The tennis star’s relationship with Thomalla has come under intense scrutiny, though the German actress insists she doesn’t care what others say.

Zverev, 27, will shortly arrive in SW19 off the back of reaching the French Open final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. The World No.4 has never reached beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon - but will hope he can go further with his girlfriend Sophia, 34, cheering him on from the stands.

He has been in a high-profile relationship with the former Playboy model since 2020, having met each other through a mutual friend and gone public in 2021. But their blossoming romance immediately faced criticism due to their seven-and-a-half year age difference.

Thomalla was already in the spotlight thanks to her marriage to Norwegian singer Andy LaPlegua in 2016, before dating British musician Gavin McGregor until 2018 and later Newcastle goalkeeper Loris Karius in 2019.

But she insists the criticism doesn’t bother her, telling broadcaster RTL earlier this year: “I don’t think anything of it. It doesn’t really matter to me and it was clear to me from the start that people are suspicious. Even if it had only lasted a month, it wouldn’t have mattered to me.“

Zverev, who has a child from a previous relationship, has spoken highly of his girlfriend despite the backlash. “I think for tennis players it is always very important who you have next to you. Sophia is someone who gives me peace and security,” he said.

The German ace added: “We have been together for almost three years now. Everything is wonderful, everything is going well. We are happy that we are together."

Even without the media’s scrutiny, dating has not always been easy for the pair. Last year in a documentary, Sophia revealed: “We don’t have a simple life together.

“Alex, with the incredible amount of sports he has and the continuity he has to go through again and again – and my life is anything but continuous. It’s not 24/7 red roses now.”

Their busy schedules mean children are not yet on the agenda, with Thomalla, ranked third in FHM’s list of Sexiest Women in 2010, showing reservations and laughing off the prospect in an interview with RTL. She said: “We’ll see what time brings”, later telling BILD: “We don't lead a normal life. We get up very early, we're on the go a lot.

“You don't have a base to hold on to. Accordingly, we don't have any holidays, but are mostly in hotels."

Zverev’s full focus is currently on his Wimbledon performance in July. He is projected to meet 13th seed Taylor Fritz in the fourth round and sixth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.