World No. 3 Alexander Zverev suffered a shocking first-round exit at Wimbledon against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, his earliest Grand Slam defeat since 2019.
The German, who is looking to rebound at the National Bank Open in Toronto, shared some insight into his mindset as he seeks to become a contender at big events.
What Alexander Zverev Has Said on Moving Forward From Heartbreak at Wimbledon
“I do believe that Wimbledon first round was not a great thing for me,” Zverev said. “But I think I made the best out of it.”
“I’ve never felt this empty before,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well.”
The German’s comments triggered a discussion about tennis players’ mental health.
The World No. 3 went on to explain how he has been recovering from the slump he experienced at Wimbledon.
“I pulled out of a few tournaments now, I took some time off, and I do feel fresher,” Zverev said. “I do feel fresher in my mind to compete again and you know, maybe I won’t play my best tennis here in Canada. “Maybe I’m not gonna play my best tennis in Cincinnati.
“But I think by the time the US Open comes, I’m gonna be a contender again. And that’s where I wanna be.”
How Alexander Zverev Has Fared So Far at the Canadian Open in Toronto
The German kicked off his campaign in Toronto with a relatively straightforward 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win over the UK’s Adam Walton. His next opponent, the No. 32-seeded Matteo Arnaldi, proved a little trickier.
With his win over Arnaldi, the 27-year-old recorded the 500th win of his career. Notably, the German is the first man born in 1990 or later to achieve the feat.
“When you start your career, you wish to play on tour, you wish to kind of have a successful career, win as many matches as possible,” Zverev said after registering the win. “I think 500 is definitely a milestone, and I’m happy about that. I still want 500 more, maybe, to come, maybe even more.”
The German, who is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament following the withdrawal of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, will face a familiar opponent next in the form of Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
The Argentine has won all three of their encounters, with the last one of those victories coming earlier this year at the ATP 1000 tournament in Madrid. However, their upcoming meeting in Toronto will be the duo’s first clash on hard court, considered the German’s strongest surface.
“I do not know if our fourth match will be different from the previous three,” Zverev said ahead of the clash. He added, “I hope so, especially as it comes on hard court. Francisco has beaten me three times, and I’m still trying to figure out how to win against him.”
