The Laver Cup might not offer ranking points, but for the players, it is a competition that needs to be won. That was evident from Alexander Zverev‘s reaction at the net after he lost his singles match against Alex de Minaur. However, as the reaction caught fans’ attention, they were not exactly okay with the way Zverev reacted.

While there were no heated words or altercations between the two, the handshake between De Minaur and Zverev at the net was quite cold, devoid of any warm emotion, especially from the German. However, given his position in the match at one time, it was understandable from Zverev’s point of view why the German wanted to be off the court as soon as possible.

Even though Zverev led the head-to-head 8-3 before the match, De Minaur’s last victory against the German had come at the Laver Cup last year. Given the current form of both players, however, Zverev was the firm favorite, with the World No.2 coming on the back of his US Open triumph. The match started similarly as Zverev broke the Australian’s serve twice in the first set to win it 6-2.

Even though De Minaur recovered an early break in the second set, it was Zverev who had a 5-3 lead and had an opportunity to serve the match out at 5-4. This is when the match went downhill for the two-time Major champion, who lost his serve and ended up losing the set in the tiebreak. Once again, he gave away a 3-0 lead and later a 6-4 lead in the deciding tiebreak set, only for De Minaur to rally back to level the score.

At 9-8 in the deciding tiebreak, Zverev did have a match point, but De Minaur saved it to level it at 9-9. The Australian won the next two points to clinch the match and give Team World an overall tie lead. Even though the loss did not affect his ranking points, fans pointed out, it would very well hit Zverev’s confidence.

Although he has won two Majors this year, there has been an open debate in the tennis community about Zverev’s credentials as one of the world’s best players. The German did not beat either Alcaraz or Sinner in either of his Slam runs, and in the two times he met them at Majors this year, he lost. His recent loss against De Minaur marks a 2-8 win-loss record against the Top-10 opposition in 2026. Even the World No.2 was cautious in declaring himself the best player in the world, given his record against the duo of Alcaraz and Sinner.

After his loss to De Minaur and his subsequent exchange at the net, fans were quick to point out Zverev’s lack of results against the higher-ranked opposition.

Fans Were Critical of Alexander Zverev’s Net Exchange With Alex De Minaur

One fan was quick to draw attention to Zverev’s draws at the two Grand Slams he won, comparing them to those at lower-tier ATP 250 events. While the draw is out of anyone’s hands, the highest-ranked opponent Zverev faced at the French Open was in the final, where he played Flavio Cobolli, who at that time was ranked 14. Similarly, at the US Open as well, Zverev faced one top-ten player during his title run, which was Ben Shelton in the final.

“He got 2 Slams with draws that looked like ATP 250s, thought he was the best player alive, and was just reminded that he is, in fact, mid,” said the fan.

Other fans echoed similar sentiments, with one of them saying, “This loss doesn’t look good for Zverev,” while another said, “Zverev throwing as usual, love to see a deserving player like De Minaur take the win.”

Another fan pointed out his recent record against Top-10 ranked players, saying, “He left angry because it’s hard for him to beat someone in the top 10.”

One fan was sympathetic towards Zverev, pointing out that the German player was just disappointed to have lost from a winning position and noting the strong motivation the players had to help their team win.

“He just was not happy to go back to his teammates with a loss. The guys actually want to win this tournament even if it is an exhibit,” said the fan.

Zverev redeemed himself somewhat on the same day as he won the doubles match along with Casper Ruud, giving a 7-5 lead to Team Europe at the end of Day 2. The World No.2 has a scheduled singles match against Learner Tien on Day 3, and should Zverev win, it will go a long way in Team Europe securing a sixth Laver Cup title.