World No. 2 Alexander Zverev gets real on recent failures ahead of Bavarian Open debut

Alexander Zverev was considered one of the top contenders in recent tournaments such as Indian Wells, the Miami Open, and Monte-Carlo. However, in each of those events, he delivered underwhelming performances and was eliminated earlier than expected. Now, ahead of his debut at the Bavarian Open, the World No. 2 has opened up about this current stretch in his career.

“Of course I haven’t played particularly well. I lost to a lot of guys that I should have beaten,” Zverev admitted during a press conference shared by Tennis.com. He was clearly referring to early exits in his recent tournaments, with the most notable being Monte-Carlo, where he fell in the round of 32 to World No. 34 Mateo Berrettini.

“The last few weeks have been a bit more difficult, but I’m still very confident that I will play well now and hopefully in the next few weeks,” Alexander added. “I still believe I can play well on the big stage. I mean, I played in the Australian Open final three months ago. That said, I haven’t forgotten how to do it.”

The German star remained optimistic about his form. “I feel like I’m starting to play better and better. I think I need to win one or two close matches. And I still have faith in myself,” said the World No. 2. “I think I will get out of my phase soon.”

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev

Zverev reflects on his mistakes this year

Alexander Zverev had a strong start to 2025, reaching the Australian Open final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. But things began to go downhill afterward—something he’s taken time to reflect on. “I didn’t make the decision to play in South America after the Australian Open; I made that decision six or seven months before, and it wasn’t the smartest decision,” he admitted. “That’s clear to me.”

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World No. 2 Alexander Zverev gets brutally honest after Monte-Carlo failure: ‘Terrible’

The German player clarified that his comments weren’t a critique of the Argentina Open or Rio Open. “I can’t say now that the South American tour was bad or that I didn’t enjoy it or anything like that. The organization is great there. It was also nice to play tennis in those countries,” he explained, making it clear that the issue was more about scheduling and surface transitions. “You should learn from your mistakes.”

What’s next for Zverev?

On Monday morning, Alexander Zverev will open his Bavarian Open campaign in the round of 32 against Alexandre Muller, looking to begin his return to top form on home soil. Still, he made it clear his primary focus lies further ahead, specifically at Roland Garros: “I still have faith in myself that I will start playing really good tennis by the time Paris comes around and that Paris will still be the main focus.”