Tennis: Alexander Zverev felt "a bit burned out" after losing his Australian Open final

The world number two admitted at a press conference on Tuesday, on the eve of the start of the Masters 1000 in Rome, that he was "burned out" after losing his final in Melbourne, his third Grand Slam.

German Alexander Zverev, last year's winner of the Masters 1000 in Rome, the 2025 edition of which begins Wednesday, admitted on Tuesday, May 6, that he felt "a bit burned out" after the Australian Open, where he lost in the final to Italian Jannik Sinner. "Before Munich (a tournament he won in mid-April), my level of play wasn't great. There are explanations for that. I think not having taken a rest after the Australian Open is the main reason," the world number 2 said at a press conference.

"I felt like I was a bit burned out. Tennis is a tough sport, we play a lot, we travel a lot, but we don't give our bodies or minds a rest, and I kind of needed that."

Alexander Zverev, world number 2

at a press conference

After his defeat in Melbourne against Sinner in three sets (6-3, 7-6 [7-4], 6-3), Zverev, still in search of his first Grand Slam title at the age of 28, played the tournaments in Rio, Buenos Aires and Acapulco on clay, with his best result being two quarter-finals. He then lost in his first match at Indian Wells, fell in the round of 16 in Miami, before being eliminated again in his first match at Monte Carlo. "I'm not happy with my results, but I think that the 'top players' raise their level during the big tournaments, during the most important moments," stressed the player with 24 ATP titles, who has no doubt "he will find [his] tennis for the biggest tournaments."

The German regained some colour by winning the Munich ATP 250 tournament on home soil, before losing in the round of 16 at the Madrid Masters 1000 against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo. "I'm on the right track, I won a tournament two weeks ago, I mustn't forget that, we must keep the positives in mind," he said.