Strugggling Zverev admits he played too soon after Australian Open final defeat: “Mentally, it affected me a lot”
The world No 2 is hoping to regain his confidence on clay, starting with this week’s Monte-Carlo Masters
Norbert Scanella / Bestimage / PsnewZ
For many players, changing surfaces can be problematic, presenting more problems than opportunities. For world No 2 Alexander Zverev, this week’s Monte-Carlo Masters is the chance to reset.
Since losing out to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final in January, the German has failed to get beyond the quarter-finals of any event. And as he prepares to begin his campaign in Monte-Carlo, he admits losing a third slam final had a big mental effect on him, one he has only just recovered from.
“Mentally after Australia, it did affect me a lot,” Zverev told a small group of reporters at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday, admitting he should have taken a rest after his third slam final loss instead of returning to the Tour straight away, playing in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco, even if he enjoyed the places themselves.
“I was very upset. I was very tired also. I came back here, started training straight away, and I went to South America, so I didn’t really have time to process what happened, losing another Grand Slam final, but still having good tournament. I kind of just kept going, which maybe wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”
Zverev: “It doesn’t affect me anymore”
Some of that was down to fulfilling tournament commitments. Zverev said he didn’t regret playing in the events and said he was now over it.
“That was a decision that I made, but it’s OK,” he said. “You live and learn kind of and at the end of the day. It doesn’t affect me now anymore, I’m past that stage. Now it’s just about getting some good wins, getting a good tournament in, and hopefully getting back to being one of the best players in the world.”
Zverev readily admits he has struggled in recent weeks, losing matches to lower-ranked opponents from winning positions. In Miami, he said, he felt better until a sore neck affected him and he is confident he will return to form soon enough.
All about winning matches
Monte-Carlo is the traditional start of the clay-court season, a run that includes three Masters 1000s before Paris, where Zverev, if his confidence is restored, will be among the favourites. As top seed in Monte-Carlo, he has a bye to round two but a potential match with Matteo Berrettini is far from easy.
“I think winning matches is the main part of rebuilding confidence and to get into winning mindset again,” he said. “So I definitely need to win some matches and definitely hope to play good tennis.
“Obviously the main focus is Roland-Garros, that’s for sure, and that’s still the main target. It’s been a tough few weeks for me, but I hope I can turn it around. I don’t know if it’s going to be this week, but I’m going to do everything I can to have some good results and play well this year.”
