Alexander Zverev admits no break after Australia was mistake

Alexander Zverev admitted in Monte-Carlo on Saturday that he should have taken a break from tennis after losing the final of the Australian Open in January.

The world No.2 fell in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in Melbourne, reducing his record to 0-3 in Grand Slam finals.

Since then, his form has been lacklustre at best, failing to advance beyond the quarter-finals of any event and losing to five players outside of the world’s top 15.

Speaking to media in Monaco ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters, the German says he made a mistake not taking time off earlier.

“I did not take a rest after Australia and mentally Australia affected me a lot,” Zverev said.

“I was very upset and very tired and I came back here and went straight away to South America.

“I did not really have time to process what happened, losing in a Grand Slam final.

“I kept going, which was not the smartest thing to do.”

The tennis season now switches to clay for the next two months, a surface which favours the 27-year-old’s physical game.

Zverev is the top seed heading into this week’s ATP Masters 1000 event, and third-favourite to win the tournament across tennis betting sites.

However, he says his focus is simply on winning matches, rather than targeting the title at this stage.

“Winning matches is the main part in order to build confidence and get into the right mindset,” Zverev said.

“I definitely need to win some matches and to play good tennis. It can change quite quickly.

“In Miami I felt I was playing better than I was before and then I woke up with a bad neck just during that day — which was a bit unlucky for me — so I was a bit restricted.

“But even winning that match it can change quite quickly.

“In the quarter-finals I would have played [Jakub] Mensik.

“He obviously won the tournament, but maybe if I got my confidence back, I am the favourite in all of those matches to play.

“It can happen quickly and I hope it will happen within the next few weeks.”

It helps that Zverev is based in Monte-Carlo and will be living in a familiar environment as he looks to get his season back on track.

“You’re still a bit more relaxed, a bit more refreshed,” he said.

“Sleeping in your own bed, having home-cooked meals is quite nice.

“My whole family is here. Familiarity helps and is something very, very nice.

“But again for me right now it’s about winning matches and getting back the winning mode pace.”

BetOnline prices Zverev at $12 to win in Monte-Carlo, behind Carlos Alcaraz ($2.75) and Novak Djokovic ($6.50).

Tennis bookmakers do expect him to regain his confidence over the clay season, pricing him lower to win the French Open in May, with BetOnline returning $8.50 for Zverev to win his first major in Paris.

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