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After his 1:6, 2:6 kick in Madrid against Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev summed up his mood with a few ruthless words: “He’s doing everything better than I am at the moment. That’s why it really doesn’t matter what I’m up to to do.” The obvious round of 16 out on Tuesday has painful consequences for the 26-year-old Olympic champion. For the first time in six years, the name Alexander Zverev is no longer in the top 20 of the world rankings from Monday.
After a disappointing spring, this fact underlines his realization that the gap with the world’s top is widening. The brutal youngsters Alcaraz (20/ATP 2), Holger Rune (19/ATP 7) or Jannik Sinner (21/ATP 8) have long since overtaken the German.
As Zverev fights back after a serious cruciate ligament injury, the new generation of tennis has seized its opportunity – and is now shaking up the scene. Rune recently won the title in Munich, where Zverev was eliminated after just one game. Still on track to defend his title in Madrid, Alcaraz is considered the new superstar alongside Novak Djokovic (35) and Rafael Nadal (36).
month of truth
In the meantime, Zverev lost many points due to his last participation in the Spanish capital last year, as a result of which he now drops further in the ranking. The coming weeks will show how deep the fall will be: his performance at the next Masters tournament in Rome (from the middle of next week) will be decisive. Last year he was there in the semifinals. If Zverev cannot defend these points either, the Hamburger even threatens with a horror scenario.
If he retires right at the start of Rome, he could fall out of the top 32 – and thus out of the seeding list for the French Open at the end of the month (from 28th). Means: Then he could be hit by a tough draw at the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, maybe top opponents are waiting for him in the first rounds.
After his semi-final in Paris last year, there is also a huge points hurdle in terms of ranking. So for Zverev it is clear: May will be the month of truth for him.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
