Alexander Zverev Made ‘Odd’ Comment After Canadian Open Opening-Round Exit

Alexander Zverev suffered a three-set defeat at the hands of Tallon Griekspoor in the opening round of the Canadian Open, and it marked the first time he lost in the opening round of a tournament this season. Later at the press conference, he called the defeat the worst match of the season.

But Zverev didn’t care much about the loss, saying he’s fine with the defeat, given that he already has seven Masters 1000s to his name. He also blamed the balls and the conditions for his defeat.

John Isner found his quote odd. During the Nothing Major podcast, the American said he thinks top players like Zverev don’t care much about the Montreal Masters 1000s, as their main focus is on the US Open.

His quote after the match, I found odd… It seems like these top guys are shrugging off this Montreal loss like it’s nothing and are fully focused on Cincy and then, of course, the US Open.

Co-host Steve Johnson also agreed with Isner’s opinion. He believes the blame for such a mindset among players like Zverev should be given to the packed calendar.

You’re looking at Sascha Zverev right now, maybe a year ago he would think a little different because he wanted to win matches and get his confidence going, but now that he is a Slam winner, for him to play six matches in ten days in Montreal, fly to Cincinnati, try to play six matches in 10 days there, then go straight to New York and do all his sponsor obligations, everything he needs to do, before potentially playing seven matches in two weeks, that’s just a lot of tennis.

Sascha is a former US Open runner-up. He played the final back in 2020, losing in five sets to Dominic Thiem. Zverev ended his Grand Slam title drought at the French Open with a five-set win over Flavio Cobolli. He then reached the final of Wimbledon for the first time but lost the title to defending champion Jannik Sinner.

Rennae Stubbs accuses Alexander Zverev of making excuses

Because Alexander Zverev blamed the balls and conditions after his Canadian Open exit, Rennae Stubbs told him that he was making excuses for his defeat. She said legends of the game like Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic never blamed the conditions and simply played their matches.

Every single player knows when you come from Wimbledon, the ball where the balls are heavier, the conditions are completely different. It’s a completely different ball. It’s a Dunlop ball, and everybody knows they’re heavy and they don’t fly through the air, although they’ve flown through the air a little bit more over the last few years because it’s been hot as balls in Wimbledon.

Rennae Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

Zverev will next be seen in action in Cincinnati. And in the absence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, he will be the heavy favorite to end his Masters 1000 title drought. The reigning French Open champion last won a title of this level at the 2024 Paris Masters.

Alcaraz, the defending champion in Cincinnati, withdrew due to his wrist injury. Sinner, who handed the walkover to the seven-time Grand Slam champion in last year’s Cincinnati final, was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.

Zverev is a former champion in Cincinnati, winning it in 2021. In the last three seasons, he reached the semifinals. The last time he played a Masters 1000 final was in this year’s Madrid Open, where he lost to Sinner. The five-time Major champion has won the most titles this season on the men’s tour (six).

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