MONTE CARLO (MONACO), 17 Apr. (dpa/EP) –
German tennis player Alexander Zverev assured that he wants to fulfill his schedule by participating in the Munich tournament in just over a week, despite being disappointed by his defeat in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo tournament, the third Masters 1,000 of the season.
“It’s disappointing, now I have to try and get back on my feet, which is starting to irritate me more and more,” the 24-year-old told Sky after his loss on Saturday, in which he was hampered by a thigh injury.
“In Miami I was sick, now I have a muscle injury. This year is still not going well,” explained the reigning Olympic champion, who is still waiting for his first title this season, in which he has only reached one final so far.
When asked, the number three in the world confirmed that he will compete in Munich, a tournament that takes place from April 25 to May 1, and then in the Mutua Madrid Open and in Rome. It was already clear in advance that Zverev would miss the clay court event in Barcelona next week.
In Monte Carlo he was defeated by the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2, after winning the quarterfinal match against the Italian Jannik Sinner the day before in three sets and more than three hours of play. Zverev made it clear that he was not at his best and he also had discomfort in his right thigh.
“That the best player won is clear. That (the state of) my thigh played an important role is also relatively clear,” explained the German tennis player. “He was a bit injured (…) and against players like Stefanos you have to be at a maximum level, and I wasn’t,” he concluded.