Things are not going in the way of Alexander Zverev at the moment. After a disappointing and inconsistent start to the 2022 season, the German tennis star had yet another difficult outing. He went down fighting against the American, Tommy Paul, to bow out of Indian Wells, losing in three sets 2-6, 6-4, 6-7 (2)  in the second round. Zverev was expected to dig deep in the tournament. However, his shock defeat has further derailed his season.

What went wrong for Alexander Zverev?

The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist had no answers to his opponent’s attacking gameplay. Paul attacked Zverev’s serve well, particularly on his second serves as the German managed to win only 10% of his second serve points in the opening set. Further, the American was exceptional on his serve and didn’t face any breakpoints.

Tommy Paul began the match on the front foot as he broke Zverev’s serve in the very first game of the match. The American used his ferocious groundstrokes and capitalized on the third seed’s errors as he further took a 4-1 lead. There was no looking back for Paul, as he eventually won the first set 6-2.

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Further, the second set was a closely fought affair as Zverev overcame a sluggish start. The two players were strong on their serves in the second set. However, Zverev punched a deciding blow in the tenth game of the second set as he broke Paul’s serve to win the set 6-4 and level the match.

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The deciding set was a topsy-turvy affair, filled with long and energy-sapping rallies. Zverev broke Paul’s serve in the sixth game of the third set. However, Paul broke back in the very next game to negate the German’s advantage. Subsequently, both players held their serves as the match went into the deciding set tie-break. Paul eventually took the tie-break, winning the match in three sets.

ATP announces further actions against Zverev for his Acapulco outburst

Recently, the ATP announced additional actions against the German for his racket smashing controversy at the Mexican Open in Acapulco. Zverev is kept on probation for a period of one year. If he undergoes another code violation in the said period, he will face an additional fine of USD 25,000 and suspension from the tour for a period of eight weeks.

This is in addition to the fines he received in Mexico. He lost the prize money and ranking points earned in the tournament. Moreover, the tournament authorities penalized him USD 20,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and USD 20,000 for verbal abuse.

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Following his remarkable win over Zverev, Paul will now lock horns against Australia’s Alex De Minaur in the Round of 32 clash in Indian Wells.