Alexander Zverev Makes High “Jest” Of Carlos Alcaraz, Jennik And Gives A Highlight On Why The Indian Wells Is Going To Be The…

 feelings crystal clear on his and Carlos Alcaraz’s No. 1 bid in Jannik Sinner’s absence after “terrible” Indian Wells crash-out

Alexander Zverev has given his honest take on his and Carlos Alcaraz’s potential bid for the World No. 1 spot during Jannik Sinner’s absence. He revealed his Indian Wells crash-out has altered his mindset about the possibility.

Zverev suffered a shocking 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) loss to Tallon Griekspoor in his opening match on Friday, March 7. The German, who received a bye in the first round, was the top seed at the tournament in light of Jannik Sinner’s no-show.

With the defeat, Alexander Zverev has produced an underwhelming 4-4 win-loss record since his Australian Open run, where he was crushed by Sinner in the final. He’s thus squandered his chances of a realistic shot at the No. 1 ranking, with Jannik Sinner relinquishing 1600 points over the course of his suspension (February 9- May 4).

Despite the three-time Grand Slam champion’s absence, the gap between him and Zverev has only widened so far, with the German losing 190 points after his Indian Wells exit. Sinner (11330 points) presently holds a formidable 3,385-point advantage over the World No. 2 (7945 points) in the live rankings. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz (6520 points) stands an outside shot at the ranking amid his wavering results.

After his latest defeat, Alexander Zverev addressed the duo’s dwindling chances, revealing whether his mind is consumed with the possibility of reaching No. 1.

“It was in the beginning,” Zverev said in his Indian Wells press conference. “Now it’s less, because I’m just playing terrible.”

The three-time Major finalist candidly added:

“For me, I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become World No. 1, you have to win tournaments. I’m not past getting first, second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first.”

After his straight-sets defeat to Jannik Sinner in Melbourne, Zverev made an abrupt shift to claycourts in South America – a decision he now seemingly regrets. He lost his second match at the Argentina Open to home favorite Francisco Cerundolo. This run was followed by a defeat to another Argentine, Francisco Comesana, in his third match at the Rio Open.

Before his Indian Wells campaign, Alexander Zverev was outclassed by up-and-coming teenager Learner Tien in the second round of the Mexican Open in Acapulco.

In the aforementioned press conference, Alexander Zverev was asked whether his uncharacteristic results were due to his Australian Open heartbreak possibly lingering in his mind. The German said:

“Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe a little bit.”

He, however, refrained from pushing the loss as an excuse for his recent performances.

“I can sit here and have excuses, but at the end of the day I’m just not playing good tennis at the moment. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’m not playing a level that I want to play, definitely not playing anywhere near what I played in Australia. This is the end result of, I don’t know, yeah, maybe Australian Open. But I’m just, yeah, I’m just disappointed with my game. That’s No. 1 thing for me,” he added.

Alexander Zverev will now turn his attention to the Miami Open (March 16-30) as he looks to rediscover his form before the claycourt season. He is defending 400 points at the tournament, while Jannik Sinner is set to drop 1000 points as the 2024 champion.