'CEO' Zizou Bergs ready for performance review vs. Jannik Sinner

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'CEO' Zizou Bergs ready for performance review vs. Sinner

Belgian, who faces Sinner Wednesday, details his off-court personality and drive

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Zizou Bergs is two spots off his career-high No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings. By Jerome Coombe

For most players, facing one of the world’s top five players in a season is a highlight. For Zizou Bergs, it’s become something of a monthly subscription.

After battling Carlos Alcaraz in Tokyo and Novak Djokovic in Shanghai, the 26-year-old Belgian will on Wednesday face Jannik Sinner at the Rolex Paris Masters — his third showdown with a Top 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings in the space of four weeks. It’s a run that may sound daunting, but for Bergs, it’s pure opportunity.

“When you see the draw and you can play Sinner in round two, you obviously really want to go to round two,” Bergs told ATPTour.com ahead of his campaign in Paris. “To have another tryout moment to see what the level is like right now and where I have to go. The past weeks have been quite amazing.

“The path for everyone is different. I'm 26 this year and I feel like I'm only just getting on Tour. It's just amazing to see because two, three years ago, all those guys were already there and I was still in Challengers. So to play them now a few times [in the] past month is something very valuable for me, but also for the people around me.”

For Bergs, those “tryout” moments against the sport’s elite are another reminder of how far he’s come. Just a few years ago, he was grinding through the ATP Challenger Tour, winning eight titles at that level since 2021. Now, the entertaining Belgian is enjoying a career-best season on the ATP Tour.

After reaching finals in Auckland and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bergs rose to a career-high World No. 39 and is competing in Paris just two spots back at No. 41. That progression, he says, feels more rewarding precisely because it didn’t happen overnight.

“I feel like you have a lot of benefits because you feel new, you feel energetic,” Bergs said of his late breakthrough. “The expectations are maybe less than when you have won a lot and you put extra pressure on yourself. I feel like that's different.

“I'm okay still to fail a lot as long as I keep improving and at the end of the career keep progressing. This is what I like. I would hate to go really fast to Top 20, Top 10 and then fall out of it. I know I would never go back. I would love to, as I do now, make steps in the rankings every year as well as in the level and I hope to continue on that way.”

Following his 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Djokovic in Shanghai, Bergs posted a video on his Instagram rewatching the key moments — grimacing, joking and playfully reacting to some of his near misses. It was raw, self-deprecating and utterly authentic. All things associated with the real Zizou Bergs.

“It was a lot of fun, but also my way to show how I feel about those matches because maybe for a lot of them it feels like it’s normal you lose against Novak, but in those matches, I really believe I can win,” said Bergs.

“Then I will always look back to the matches to see where I could improve, and there are some moments where I feel like ‘Oh, no, you can't miss like that’. I love to show that as well.”

Watch Djokovic repel four smashes to steal point from Bergs:

It’s easy to see why fans have gravitated towards Bergs’ openness. In an era where athletes are often polished to perfection, his willingness to share both the highs and near-misses feels refreshing. It’s not accidental, however.

Bergs believes that part of being a professional athlete today means engaging, sharing, and letting people in.

“By doing this, I feel like it's also becoming a better place for me to work on a lot of different stuff that has to improve. It's being a little bit your own CEO of your own company,” said Bergs. “The company is called ‘Zizou Bergs, the athlete’. How can we optimise everything and all those things? That is something I really love to do.”

That entrepreneurial streak ties into his off-court development as well. Over the past two years, Bergs has made use of several ATP initiatives designed to help players grow beyond the game.

Through the ATP Mentoring Programme and ATP Business Education Programme, he has been able to learn from former players and industry professionals alike, sharpening both his competitive and personal mindset.

“I just feel so connected to the values," Bergs said. "I'm very eager to learn new stuff and that's definitely a side where I like to develop as well. I feel like all the things that ATP is offering us to do next to the tennis court, I'm taking it right away to develop as a person.”

Against Sinner in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, Bergs will once again be the underdog. But as ever, there will be no shortage of drama as he continues his ‘Top 5 Tour’.

“l like showing emotions,” said Bergs. “If I feel like I'm going to be a little bit more serene, I can be. I can be very loving on the outside of the court, then on the court, I can be someone who really enjoys these jump smashes and all the big shots, being an entertainer. I feel like the entertainer part is always there, it just depends on the mood.”

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