Roger Federer talks about Alexander Zverev's failure and explains route to success

Roger Federer believes Alexander Zverev's failure to push on since winning in Rome and Montreal is due to putting too much pressure on himself and thinking ahead when he really should learn to live in the moment.

The German made his way to fourth in the rankings earlier this year after winning two ATP Masters 1000 events but he has so far failed to translate his promise on the courts in 2018.

The German's performances in the four grand slam events remains a cause for concern – he is yet to progress beyond the fourth round in 11 appearances – and crashed out in the third round at the Australian Open after losing to Hyeon Chung.

The 20-year-old has since spoken about his inability to cope with the pressure of performing on the biggest stage, having seen similar failures hold him back at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Federer, who has no problems of his own, having won his 20th Grand Slam at the Australian Open, believes that Zverev needs to get off his high horse and play every point for winning it rather than ponder about the future.

"I have the feeling that he may have set too high goals for himself, which is good and important," Federer told German publication Noz. "Because he won the tournaments in Rome and Montréal, he may also think that he should now win a Grand Slam.

"This is a logical process in the mind. But if you're thinking of the semi-finals or finals but you're still in the second round at break and at breakpoint, then it's hard to play normally.

The Swiss ace revealed that even he had to go through such a phase in his career and that Zverev will learn as he is too good a player to baulk under pressure. However, the German has to train well and put in a lot of effort, which will eventually open the door for him to win grand slams.

"He should not panic or put too much pressure on himself. I also had to understand that I had to concentrate point by point, game by game, game by game and game by game. He will find out. He is too good a player for that. If he continues to train well, he will get his chances to win grand slams," he added.