“I need to change,” Alexander Zverev shares perspective on poor run of form after suffering huge upset in Miami
Arthur Fils rallied from a set down to eliminate World No.2 Alexander Zverev from the Miami Open fourth round.
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Alexander Zverev (Image via X/Quindici Zero)
Alexander Zverev‘s trophy-less run continues. He arrived at the Miami Open to bid for his first title since the 2024 Paris Masters; but he fell with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 scoreline to Arthur Fils in the fourth round.
Zverev had started the season at the Australian Open and reached the final. But Jannik Sinner broke no sweat, beating the German in straight sets. Following his defeat in his third Grand Slam final, Zverev produced mediocre performances in the Golden Swing, for he couldn’t win more than two matches.
At Indian Wells too, it was no different; for he suffered an exit in his first match. Zverev will now contemplate what’s wrong with his game before the start of the clay swing.
I think I played much better here than in the past few weeks, for sure. But I was a break up in the third set. There’s no reason to lose a match like that. I ended up losing four games in a row, or something like that. In Indian Wells, I served to win the match, in Rio I was up 4-1 in the third, in Buenos Aires, I was a set and a break up. I’m losing many matches from winning positions. I need to change that.
Alexander Zverev said at the press conference
Fils has now secured his second victory over the 27-year-old in their five meetings. He also became the third Frenchman after Yannick Noah and Gael Monfils to progress to the quarterfinals of both the Sunshine Double events the same year. At Indian Wells, Fils suffered a three-set defeat to 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the last eight stage.
Alexander Zverev makes feelings clear on how he will transition his game from hard courts to clay
Alexander Zverev reached two finals on clay last season. At the Italian Open, the World No.2 beat Nicolas Jarry to claim the title. He then progressed to two consecutive finals when he reached the summit clash of the French Open.
Zverev’s opponent was Carlos Alcaraz, who went past him to claim his first title at Roland Garros. The three-time Grand Slam finalist will now be gearing up for the clay season in his bid to end his trophy-less campaigns.
I think the most important aspect is court positioning, it has a lot to do with footwork. Footwork is very different on clay. Right now, for me, it’s a bit hard to answer these types of questions. I’m disappointed with the loss, and honestly, I’m just thinking about the flights back home and getting there, if I’m honest.
Alexander Zverev said at the press conference
Last year, Zverev had kick-started his campaign on the clay swing at the Monte Carlo Masters and was defeated in his second match in the tournament. The first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the 2025 season will start on April 5.
After beating Alexander Zverev, Arthur Fils sets up a clash with Jakub Mensik
Arthur Fils will be aiming to reach the semifinals of an ATP event for the first time this season. Apart from the Miami Open, the youngster has also made it to the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open and the Indian Wells Masters.
The 20-year-old, who is at career-best No.15 in the ATP Live Rankings, will now meet his 2024 Next Gen Finals opponent Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals. Mensik, before setting up the clash with Fils, received a walkover from Tomas Machac.
Fils and Mensik have met only once on the ATP Tour. They had faced each other in the round-robin stage of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals which Fils had won in straight sets.
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