Alexander Zverev’s choice to play tournaments on red clay in South America at this point in the season had surprised both fans and insiders. The world number 1 had justified this decision by explaining that he had never played well in tournaments like Rotterdam and that he did not want to lose his rhythm before the American Masters 1000.
Although he worked hard in Monte Carlo before flying to Buenos Aires, the German ace’s results on this tour were not satisfactory.
Sascha never found the best sensations in either Baires or Rio, being eliminated in the quarterfinals in both cases.
His run in Argentina had stopped against local idol Francisco Cerundolo, while in Brazil he suffered a shocking loss against Francisco Comesana. The 2025 Australian Open finalist – who was ahead 4-1 in the deciding set – suffered a four-game streak allowing his rival to enter the semifinals.
Due to these two shocking losses in South America, the champion from Hamburg has significantly reduced his chances of overtaking Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP ranking by May (when the Italian ace will return to action after his suspension).
Santoro opens up on Zverev
In a recent interview with ‘L’Equipe’, former French ace Fabrice Santoro revealed what Sascha’s main weakness is: “Zverev is certainly a very powerful and complete player from the baseline, but his dexterity is mediocre.
He is not at his game in some areas of the court and this is particularly noticeable when he faces players such as Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, who are able to exploit his shortcomings. The German absolutely needs to improve near the net if he wants to win a Grand Slam title before the end of his career.”
Unlike Alcaraz – who will return to action in Indian Wells in early March – Alexander will also play the Acapulco ATP 500 next week.
Sascha will be the number 1 seed ahead of Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud.
Tennis World USA