Alexander Zverev Makes ‘Terrible Tennis’ Admission As He Recalls One Big Mistake of This Season

Alexander Zverev will lock horns with Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round of the Canadian Open.

Alexander Zverev Makes ‘Terrible Tennis’ Admission As He Recalls One Big Mistake of This Season

Alexander Zverev (Image via X/ATP Tour)

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Alexander Zverev is in Toronto for the Canadian Open. He is chasing his second title in the tournament following the 2017 season when he defeated 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

Zverev is also aiming to win his second title of the season. He ended his title defense at the BMW Open by beating Ben Shelton. Apart from Munich, he also reached the finals of the Australian Open and the Stuttgart Open, where World No.1 Jannik Sinner and World No.4 Taylor Fritz beat him, respectively.

Sascha recently sat for an interview for the Nothing Major podcast, where he talked about the time he was playing “terrible tennis“. He was talking about the aftermath of his Australian Open defeat.

Terrible year. A lot of times, I felt quite lost on the court this year, especially after the Australian Open final. I went into the match believing I’m going to win, feeling so confident, and then in that match I got smoked.

After an early exit in Buenos Aires, Zverev also couldn’t make deep runs in the two more tournaments he had played on the Golden Swing. At the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open, it was no different as he couldn’t progress beyond the fourth round. On the clay swing, after an early-round exit at the Monte Carlo Masters, he ended the BMW Open in his favor.

I’m playing terrible, my motivation is not the same, so I shouldn’t have done that. I had a little bit of a burnout for a couple of months there. I was not enjoying my time on the court. I pulled out of a few tournaments now. I took some time off, and I do feel fresher.

Alexander Zverev added

The Canadian Open is his first tournament since his defeat in the first round of Wimbledon. Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech eked out a five-set win, denying the German ace a chance to make a deep run in the grass-court Major.

Alexander Zverev to lock horns with Alexei Popyrin

Alexander Zverev has reached the fourth round of the Canadian Open and will face Alexei Popyrin next. He scheduled the match against the Australian after receiving a walkover from Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Popyrin knocked out Holger Rune in the previous round.

Alexander Zverev (4)
Alexander Zverev (Image via X/ATP Tour)

The 28-year-old has met Popyrin three times, winning all the matches. The upcoming match will be their first encounter since their clash in the fourth round of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

While Zverev is a 24-time ATP titlist, the 25-year-old is chasing his career’s fourth title. Popyrin is aiming to defend his title in the tournament. Last year here, he lifted his career’s first Big Title with a straight-set win over Andrey Rublev.

Alexander Zverev names the most annoying players on the ATP Tour

For Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Cerundolo are the most annoying players on the ATP Tour, thanks to their head-to-head record. During the Nothing Major podcast, the three-time Grand Slam finalist joked that Medvedev turns into Novak Djokovic when he plays him.

Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)
Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)

Even now, I am ranked three in the world, and he is ranked 14, and I still lose to him in Halle. He turns into prime Novak Djokovic every time he plays against me, and I’m like I don’t even play that badly! Cerundolo, I am 0-3 against him, and I have won one set.

Zverev trails 7-13 in the head-to-head record against the Russian ace and has also lost the last five matches against him, including in the Halle Open semifinal this year. Against Cerundolo, Zverev now holds a 1-3 win-loss record. Medvedev’s campaign in Toronto ended after his defeat to Popyrin in the third round.

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