Alexander Zverev suffered a disappointing fourth-round defeat against Denis Shapovalov at the Australian Open. Instead of dwelling on it, the German is focussed on improving.
“I had a good offseason. I had good preparation,” Zverev said after the loss. “Look, there are no excuses. I need to be better, I need to do better. It’s as simple as that.
“It’s no one else’s fault. It’s not the coach’s fault, it’s not my team’s fault, it’s no one else’s fault. It’s purely me.”
Zverev will have a chance to get on track this week at the Open Sud de France, an ATP 250 event in Montpellier, where he has fond memories.
Five years ago, then 19, Zverev won the singles and doubles titles at the event. In doubles, he triumphed with his older brother, Mischa Zverev.
This is the two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion’s first appearance at the Open Sud de France since that week. Zverev, who has a 7-1 singles record in Montpellier, will begin his tournament on Thursday against American Mackenzie McDonald. Zverev won their only previous ATP Head2Head clash 6-3, 7-5 in 2018 at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.