Zverev lashes out after his loss and his failure to overtake Jannik Sinner (for now)

Alexander Zverev did not hide his irritation during the press conference following his loss in Shanghai to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Because of this defeat, the German tennis player has postponed overtaking Jannik Sinner by a couple of weeks, until Paris-Bercy.

“I want to point out to everyone that I’m not a robot—I’m a human being. I get tired, too. After the US Open, I only had one day off. I think I’ve played a lot, which is positive because it means I’m doing well. I played some tough matches in Shanghai and started to feel exhausted after the match against Alexander Bublik,” explained Sascha, who had also been experiencing pain in his foot in recent days.

“I played a phenomenal match against Alex de Minaur, but today I wasn’t in top form. Even in the first set, which I won, I wasn’t at my best. I wasn’t reacting well on the court and wasn’t returning the ball well. But we’re all human, even the best players in the world.”

Now Zverev will be able to rest until Vienna: “I think a break is necessary. I’ll take a couple of days off and see how it goes. People will say I lost to the world No. 20, but he’s playing really well. I think I even exceeded expectations this week. I had a minor injury and was tired. Honestly, I don’t mind losing to a player of Alejandro’s caliber.”