World no. 2 Alexander Zverev is back on the court five days after losing his third Major final. On Friday, he trained with Lorenzo Musetti on clay in Monte Carlo, preparing for the upcoming events in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
ADVERTISEMENT
The German will play at the South American clay swing for the first time, seeking more good results following the Australian Open runner-up prize. Alexander fought for the Roland Garros title last June, leading two sets to one against Carlos Alcaraz before falling in five sets.
Zverev should be among the players to beat on the slowest surface again this year, and his journey starts in ten days in Argentina.
Alexander started the season with two triumphs at the United Cup. He entered the Australian Open with high hopes and reached the quarter-final after dropping two sets in four matches. World no. 2 faced Tommy Paul in the quarter-final and prevailed in the opening two sets.
Tommy responded in the third before Alexander sealed the deal in the fourth, reaching the last four in Melbournefor the second straight year. Zverev faced the ten-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-final and claimed the opening set.
ADVERTISEMENT
The veteran struggled with a left leg injury. He fought well for 80 minutes but could not deal with increased pain, retiring and propelling world no. 2 into his third Major final. Alexander wished for the third time luck, but it was not to be for him!
Zverev played against the defending champion Jannik Sinner and experienced a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 loss in two hours and 42 minutes. Thus, the German suffered his third loss from as many Major finals, missing another chance to lift a notable trophy he wants so badly.
Sinner faced no break points and kept the pressure on the other side. The Italian converted two of ten break points, prevailing in the second set and sealing the deal in the third. Alexander felt heartbroken during the trophy ceremony.
However, he took positive vibes from Melbourne and focusedon the upcoming challenges.
