In a press conference at the tournament in Rome, Alexander Zverev gives a candid insight and explains the reasons for his long slump in form. However, he also believes that the media often exaggerates.
Before the start of the Masters in Rome, Alexander Zverev spoke openly about his current slump in form. The Hamburg native sees the many stresses of the tennis tour as the main cause.
“I felt like I was a little mentally burned out,” Zverev explained on Tuesday before the start of the tournament in the Italian capital. He emphasized that tennis is a tough sport that involves a lot of playing and traveling. The body and mind often don’t get a break, and that’s exactly what he needed.
The 28-year-old (who has a bye in the first round) is defending his title in Rome, but is not among the favorites after his early exit in Madrid. At the tournament in the Spanish capital, he was knocked out in the round of 16 after triumphing in Munich.
“Before Munich, my level of play wasn’t that great,” Zverev admitted. One of the reasons was that he didn’t take any time off after the Australian Open. In Melbourne in January, he reached the final but lost to Jannik Sinner.
Zverev: ‘Feeling that journalists like to exaggerate’
This was followed by a noticeable drop in performance with many early defeats. Despite the difficult phase, Zverev remains ambitious. However, he still has the dream of reaching the top of the world rankings: “I believe I can do it. In any case, I feel that journalists like to exaggerate. After these difficult months, it seems as if I am the worst number two in history.”
Despite his recent weaker results, the Tokyo Olympic champion is looking ahead positively. “I know I haven’t been playing at my level, but neither was Carlos, and then he won Monte Carlo,” said Zverev: “I won a tournament two weeks ago, I mustn’t forget that. You have to keep your eyes on the positives. I will rediscover my tennis for the biggest tournaments.”
