Alexander Zverev’s Italian Open run came to an end, and he blamed the court conditions for his loss. His reason for his loss didn’t sit right with the fans online, who slammed the German for his excuses.
Zverev opened his Rome campaign on May 8, where he defeated Daniel Altmaier to advance to the Round of 32 with a 7-5, 6-3 victory. In the next round he faced Alexander Blockx and registered a 6-1, 6-4 win, progressing to the round of 16. However, he fell short of moving further in the tournament, facing an early loss against Luciano Darderi in the round of 16. The latter won the last two sets in the three-set match, ending the German’s journey (1-6, 7-6(10), 6-0).
Following this upset, the 29-year-old spoke to the media, where he blamed the court conditions for his loss, calling it the ‘worst court’ he has ever played on.
“It was difficult to play. I mean, to be honest, the court, I think this is the worst court l’ve ever played on. Juniors, professional, futures, practice, I never played on a court where the court quality is that bad. I have match point and the ball jumps over my head. I have break point, the ball rolls. Like yeah… Yeah, the wind was tough. Overall, again, I just think I should have won the match in two sets. After that, yeah, he played fantastic,’ said Alexander Zverev.
This statement drew fans’ attention, who bashed him for making excuses and took a dig at his form. One of the fans on X penned a brutal comment that read:
“He cries so hard after every single loss. It’s always something other than himself that’s to blame. But he thinks, he is on the same level as Alcaraz. Alcaraz is 22 and has 7 Grand Slams, he is nearly 30 and has 0! What a retard.”
Calling his habit of reasoning his losses ‘annoying,’ another user on X wrote:
“It has become really annoying when Zverev searches for excuses for not closing a match again.”
Calling him a ‘disgrace’ to the sport, one of the followers commented:
“So pretty much he takes no responsibility for losing today after winning the first set… Got it. What a disgrace to tennis.”
Along similar lines, another user chimed in:
“Thought he said there gap between him and others. Gap my a**. What a clown. Always give an excuses when losing.”
Alexander Zverev opened up about competing against Jannik Sinner at the French Open
After his Italian Open loss, Alexander Zverev is looking forward to meeting Jannik Sinner at the French Open, which is slated for May 18 to June 7, 2026. The German hasn’t been able to beat the World No. 1 in three years and was bested by him in straight sets at the Madrid Open finals, but he still thinks that he can get the best of the Italian.
In the post-match press conference of the Italian Open, he was asked about his upcoming showdown with Sinner at the French Open. Responding to this, he said:
“Of course, there is no doubt he is playing unbelievable tennis. There is no doubt that he is favourite. There’s no doubt about that. But again, I do have to believe that I’m capable. Maybe this is a bit of a blessing in a bad moment for me. I can rest and recharge and be 100% ready for the French Open,” said Alexander Zverev.
Jannik Sinner hasn’t lost a match on clay this year and has won four titles so far this season. On the other hand, Alexander Zverev has advanced to the semifinals and finals of several tournaments but has fallen short of bagging the title of any one of them this year so far.
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