It’s a tough time for Alexander Zverev coming into the Shanghai Masters. The German was the second seed at the tournament, showing progress this time around in his opening match against Valentin Royer. He reached the round of 32 with a straight-set win, 6-4, 6-4, but it wasn’t as easy against Arthur Rinderknech. And his fans aren’t too pleased with the result.

On Monday, he lost his match against the Frenchman, taking the first set 6-4, only to lose his form in the next two. It cost him the match as Rinderknech won with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 to make it to the R16! Zverev was reportedly struggling with an injury ahead of the match, but now that he is out of the Masters 1000, it raises concerns.

One fan took to X to share their thoughts on his exit, writing, “Alexander Zverev should retire. He is finished.” This exit marks yet another setback for the German, who has been struggling to make it to the later stages of tournaments since his win at the BMW Open against Ben Shelton back in April! His last final came at the BOSS Open, where he lost to Taylor Fritz, and since then, he’s had trouble on the courts.

Ahead of this match, Zverev shared an interesting take on the courts at the tournaments. Echoing Roger Federer’s sentiments on how tournament directors favor the World No.1 and No.2 when it comes to deciding the conditions of the surface, he said, “I think the tournament directors are going towards that direction because, obviously, they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament and that’s what they prefer.”

“Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface. I don’t like it, I’m not a fan of it,” he added. However, contrary to his words, Sinner denied the claims, confirming they don’t have any control over the conditions of the court. Not to mention, the World No.2 himself was forced to retire from the Shanghai Masters on Sunday during his match against Tallon Griekspoor. Cramps were the reason that saw the defending champion in pain during the third set after taking the first set off the Dutchman!

Now, with Sascha out of the tournament, it’s a tough moment for fans who hoped to see him possibly bag a 1000s title in mainland China!

Fans get ruthless over Alexander Zverev’s Shanghai exit

Following the exit, one fan called Zverev out on his comments toward the World No. 1 and No. 2. “@AlexZverev Alexander Zverev claims tournament organisers are deliberately slowing down courts to favour the world’s top two Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. You lost to Arthur Rinderknech what are you talking about you are so f****** bad you should stop playing tennis…,” the fan wrote.

It was another thriller between the two. Earlier this year, the Frenchman shocked the World No. 3 in a five-set Wimbledon battle—and he did it again in Shanghai. With fearless, front-foot aggression, Arthur Rinderknech sent the 28-year-old packing from the ATP Masters 1000 event. He turned the match around after dropping the first set. As another fan pointed out, “Alexander Zverev is so sorry dude cannot speak on another player, he can’t even compete with Rinderknect😂😂”

But credit where it’s due, the Frenchman put his best foot forward during the match. Once he found his rhythm, Rinderknech stormed the net like he owned it. He won 24 of 29 points up front in sets two and three and looked the fresher man in the decider as Zverev gasped between points. The 30-year-old has now notched a career-best 23 wins in 2025 and reached the fourth round of a Masters 1000 for the third time. Not bad for someone who’s 3-18 against Top 10s after runs to the same stage in Toronto and Paris last season.

“Alexander Zverev thinks tournament directors pace the courts to favour jannick and Alcaraz when he can’t even beat Arthur Rinderknech😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂” read another comment. With Jannik Sinner retiring on Sunday due to cramp, Zverev suddenly found himself as the highest-ranked player left in the draw. Now, the German heads out of Shanghai sitting fourth in the ATP Live Race To Turin. He’s still a comfortable 1,475 points ahead of 10th-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, the first man outside the Top 8 cut, with ninth-placed Jack Draper done for the season. But being a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, Zverev still holds his destiny firmly in his hands.

Another fan pointed out, “It’s obvious Alexander Zverev has a concentration problem..” Zverev’s 2025 season has been solid but uneven in major tournaments. He holds a match record of 47 wins to 20 losses, keeping a win rate of around 73.0%. Now with this setback, maybe he’ll recharge and come back swinging for a win. Next up is the exhibition in Riyadh at the Six Kings Slam! What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!