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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Alexander Zverev of Germany looks on against Jannik Sinner of Italy during his Men’s Singles round of 16 match on Day Eight of the 2021 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Alexander Zverev of Germany looks on against Jannik Sinner of Italy during his Men’s Singles round of 16 match on Day Eight of the 2021 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
After winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, many thought 2022 will be the year where Alexander Zverev will win his first Grand Slam title. However, his hopes shattered when he lost to Denis Shapovalov today in the third round of the Australian Open.
He lost the match in straight sets after playing some terrible tennis. After the match, he talked about his performance with some honesty.
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USA Today via Reuters
Aug 21, 2021; Mason, OH, USA; Alexander Zverev (GER) waits for Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE not pictured) to come back to the court after the first set of their semifinal match against during the Western and Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports| Courtesy: Reuters
Alexander Zverev thinks he doesn’t deserve to be No.1
Alexander Zverev’s performance didn’t match his usual standards, and he himself agrees with that. In today’s match against Denis Shapovalov, the German player made eight double faults with only three aces. He also made 32 unforced errors in the match, which is quite a lot even for Zverev.
After the match, Zverev gave credit to Shapovalov, but he was pretty upset with his performance. The German said, “I obviously, I give credit to Denis… I think he deserves it. He’s done a lot of work. He’s improved his game. But I’ve got to look at myself, as well. Today was just, yeah, today was just, in my opinion, awful from my side.”
Brutal honesty from @AlexZverev https://t.co/9lzdQyUA44
— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) January 23, 2022
Zverev had a great chance to win this year’s Australian Open with Novak Djokovic already out. He also had the possibility to become world No.1 if he wins the whole tournament. However, Zverev’s performance again let him down and he thinks he doesn’t deserve to become no.1 with that sort of performance.
“I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No. 1 and all that. But if I play like that, I don’t deserve it. It’s as simple as that. I think after a match like this, it’s very silly to talk about it. I think I need to figure myself out first,” the German further stated.
What’s next for Zverev?
Zverev had a pretty great ending to 2021 when he won the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin. Before that, he won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, along with six other ATP titles. The German also had a pretty good offseason, with some good performances in the ATP cup. Despite that, his performance at the Australian Open is not up to the mark.
He will now focus on the French Open, scheduled to take place in May. Last year, Zverev reached the semi-final at the French Open, and this year he will be hoping to make it to the finals. That will be a far better result after a disappointing Australian Open.
Can Zverev win a Grand Slam in 2022? Let us know in the comments.
Watch This Story: Fun moments of Alexander Zverev at the Laver Cup 2021
