Alexander Zverev admits to feeling the pressure at Australian Open in world No 1 bid and spending too long on phone
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Published 07/02/2022 at 15:08 GMT
Alexander Zverev was in contention to win a first Grand Slam title and become world No 1 at the Australian Open, but he was beaten in the fourth round by Denis Shapovalov. He says being alone in Melbourne and spending too much time on his phone didn't help his mental state. Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+
One of Zverev’s ‘worst performances’ – Becker after Shapovalov loss
Alexander Zverev admits the pressure of winning a first Grand Slam title and taking over as world No 1 got to him at the Australian Open.
Zverev, 24, had the chance to claim the world No 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic with victory in Melbourne.
However, after sweeping through his first three matches he was surprisingly beaten in straight sets by 14th seed Denis Shapovalov.
Zverev, who lost in the Open Sud de France final to Alexander Bublik on Sunday, said he didn’t handle the expectations very well in Melbourne.
“There was too much pressure in Australia, too much talking on the potential of being No 1,” he said.
“It was in my head and I didn’t handle it well. It’s how it is. That’s why I’m here in Montpellier, I want to play, be on the court, do better.”
Zverev’s impressive form in the first few rounds of the Australian Open had him touted as one of the favourites to win a first Grand Slam title.
However, he said that being alone at the tournament did not help his chances of success.
“It’s a learning process. I was in the situation for the first time. Next time, maybe I won’t be on my phone that much. This time my parents were not with me, my girlfriend was not with me, so I was with my phone a lot. Next time, if they’re with me I can maybe shut it down, to be free from the outside world.
“That’s what I did very well in the Olympics after the semi-final, as I was the favourite to win the final. I’ll try to do that in a way. I need to learn from it. I’m not a young player anymore. I won at every level. A Grand Slam is the only goal missing. But you have a lot players there who gave the same goal. It won’t be easy. I’m working every day for that goal.”
Zverev also looked in good form at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier before losing in straight sets to Bublik in the final.
The world No 3 is next set to appear at the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco, which starts on February 21.
When could Zverev become world No 1?
Despite his disappointing fourth-round exit in Australia, Zverev is still in contention to replace Djokovic as world No 1 this season.
Djokovic is currently on 10,875 points, with Daniil Medvedev on 9,635 and Zverev on 7,865.
Djokovic is set to make his first appearance of the year in Dubai this month after he was refused entry into Australia to play in the Australian Open.
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Highlights: Shapovalov stuns Zverev in big upset in straight sets
World No 1 Djokovic has 500 points to defend in Dubai as defending champion, and also has 1,100 points to defend in Rome and Madrid. He will also be defending maximum points at the French Open and Wimbledon, if he plays.
But Zverev also has plenty of points to defend over the next few months. He is defending champion in Acapulco and Madrid, which is an ATP 1000, and he made the semi-finals of the French Open last year.
Medvedev looks better placed to pounce and become the new world No 1 if he can achieve some good results on clay.
So far the Russian has struggled to properly adapt to the surface, losing early in Madrid and Rome last year. He did make the quarter-finals of the French Open and semi-finals in Monte Carlo, but there is still room for improvement.
There could be a shake-up in March as all three players have the chance to gain points in the ATP 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
Djokovic didn’t play Indian Wells or the Miami Open last year, so is only defending his round-of-16 points from Miami in 2019. Medvedev lost in the last 16 in Indian Wells in 2021 and made the quarter-finals in Miami, while Zverev make the quarter-finals of Indian Wells and second round in Miami.
Both tournaments offer 1,000 points to the winner.
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