Alexander Zverev Still Affected by Jannik Sinner Hammering in Madrid: “I’m a Bit Disappointed”

Alexander Zverev is ready to begin his campaign at the Rome Open, but he’s yet to get over his straight-sets loss against Jannik Sinner. It was the German star’s fourth meeting against Sinner this season, but it was his worst performance of them all. He has been heavily criticized for his lack of passion and conviction against Sinner on tour.

Zverev arrived at the Madrid Open final as the underdog. The 27-year-old was in his first final of the season against Sinner, having lost to the Italian star in three consecutive semi-finals. Fans were expecting a competitive match, but the tie only lasted for 56 minutes as Sinner crushed Zverev 6-1, 6-2.

For a tie that was meant to be an ATP 1000 final, it ended like a second-round or third-round match. The German lacked energy in his display and allowed Sinner to dominate the passage of play without forcing him deep into his baseline. However, the tie was consistent with other Zverev’s losses against Sinner.

It was Zverev’s ninth consecutive loss against Sinner on tour. The last time the World No.3 defeated the World No.1 on tour was in the round of 16 of the 2023 US Open in New York. Since 2024, Sinner has dominated their head-to-head record, leading 10-6 in their meetings and dropping no sets in their last four ties.

Zverev enters the Rome Masters with the ambition to redeem himself following criticism. He’s yet to win a title this season, despite his consistent results. But to win the Italian Open, he understands that he could face Sinner again. Speaking in a media interview, he admitted that he was a bit disappointed at his performance against Sinner in Madrid, stressing that he wished he had performed better:

I’ve been losing to one man, but everybody’s been losing to him. He’s been a level—maybe two levels—above everyone else at the moment and playing fantastic tennis, so credit to him. Even though I was a bit disappointed with how I played in the Madrid final, I wish I could have performed better and given him a bigger challenge. But he’s been flawless.

Zverev will face another difficult task at the Italian Open. He will take on fellow compatriot Daniel Altmaier in the second round on Friday (May 8) at the Foro Italico. Should he win the match, he’s projected to face big-serving Dutch star Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of the tournament.

Alexander Zverev opens up on why he loves to play at the Rome Masters

Alexander Zverev is one of the few players with the most experience in Rome. He won the title for the first time in 2017, reached the final in 2019, and won it again in 2024. For the German star, Rome has been among the key events in his calendar. He made his debut at the tournament in 2016 and stunned Grigor Dimitrov in the first round.

He was eliminated by World No. 1 Roger Federer, but the following year, he stunned the Rome crowd by winning the title, his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 crown, after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. He reached the final in 2019 but lost the title to Rafael Nadal. During the aforementioned interview, he opened up about his love for the tournament:

I love this place. I love Italy in general. I love the old city of Rome. I just enjoy my time here, and it always helps when you’re on the tennis court. I feel like you always play a bit better when you’re enjoying your time off the court, and that shows in the results. Of course, I want to continue building my form, continue playing good tennis, and I hope to do that here. I think I was very fortunate to play against the best in the world and across different generations.

Zverev holds a 27-7 win-loss record at the Italian Open. Last year, he didn’t perform as expected at the event as he was eliminated by Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals. He has the opportunity to win the Rome title for the third time in his career and his first silverware of the season.

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