It was not the best of starts for Alexander Zverev on the hard courts as the German had a shock exit in his opening match at the National Bank Open. He fell to Tallon Griekspoor in a three-set battle, and later referred to his on-court performance as one of his poorest in recent times.

Alexander Zverev Labels His Montreal Performance as “Worst of the Year”

In a year when Zverev won his maiden Slam and reached the Wimbledon final for the first time, it was a big comment from the German, who stated that his performance against Griekspoor was the poorest of the year.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to play well this week. I said that before the tournament started. Although I’ve played very well in recent months, I also took a short break,” said Zverev in the post-match press conference. “I trained afterwards, but competing is different. I didn’t expect to play well, but I also didn’t expect to play so badly. It was probably my worst match of the whole season.”

Zverev has a 44-12 win-loss record this year, with the Griekspoor loss being his 12th of the season. In his previous eleven losses, the German had lost to Jannik Sinner five times, and one apiece to Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, signaling that the World No.3 had not lost to lower-ranked opposition all that much this season.

However, against Griekspoor, the top seed in Montreal struggled both on his serve and return. He could not generate any openings in the Dutchman’s serve in the first set and had to save a set point on his serve to take it to a tiebreak, where he took a 5-0 lead, which was enough to win it 7-3 and take the first set.

Zverev’s serve completely fell apart in the second set, as he got broken twice in the second set to go 4-0 down, and Griekspoor closed it out 6-2. The German lost his serve yet again to go 4-2 down in the third set, but converted the only break point he got to tie it at 4-4. However, it was Griekspoor who broke the German’s serve once again to win the third set 6-4.

Zverev made 27 unforced errors in three sets, and the fact that he could generate only one break point in the match shows that the German was not in rhythm. He did hint at the pace of the balls in his press conference, which does have some merit, as this was Zverev’s first match since Wimbledon, where he was playing with the Slazenger balls, whereas in Montreal, he had to contend with Wilson balls.

The opponent also had his part to play, as Griekspoor has been a tricky opponent for Zverev in the past. The Montreal win is the Dutchman’s third victory against the German in 12 matches, but Griekspoor has often pushed Zverev on the ropes, but has failed to close out matches in the deciding sets.

Alexander Zverev Shows Classy Gesture Even Under the Heat of the Battle

Alexander Zverev was feeling the heat literally from the scorching sun in Montreal and also on the court as Griekspoor was really making him work hard. However, that did not stop the German from showing a genuine act of sportsmanship in a classy gesture.

In the crucial third set, with the score tied at 1-1, the match was stopped when a fan in the stands became ill from the heat. It was a tense moment in the match, but Zverev was gracious enough to take an ice towel and water bottle up to the stands so that the fan could be provided some relief. The crowd recognized the moment and broke into applause, appreciating Zverev’s gesture.

However, that was not the only stoppage in the third set. With Griekspoor having a break and leading 3-2, the match was halted once again, as a fan fainted in the stands. The match paused until the person in question was provided adequate medical assistance. The delay did not disrupt the server’s rhythm, as Griekspoor held serve to take a 4-2 lead.

Alexander Zverev Hits Spectator’s Soda Can During His Montreal Match

Even though it was a tough battle on court, the match between Zverev and Griekspoor was not without its comical elements. During the early stages of the first set, with Zverev serving, the German mishit the forehand. While the shot missed the lines on the court, it was a direct hit on a fan’s soda can in the stands.

While the fan seemed to be saving herself in case the shot came in that direction, the commentators were heard saying “No wayy!!”, marveling at the comical coincidence. The spectator was not hit, but the can of Coca-Cola flying high up in the air made for quite a scene.

Such incidents do happen once in a while in tennis, as Jiri Lehecka hit a shot that landed directly into a fan’s cup. In his match against Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 Wimbledon, the Czech player hit an erratic shot that went towards the stands. However, on that occasion, it landed directly in a cup of Pimm’s cocktail that was in the hands of a fan. The crowd saw the comical side and cheered when the ball landed in the cup.