Alexander Zverev's stay at the Mexican Open was short-lived, but he won't be leaving the resort city of Acapulco empty-handed.
Zverev was beaten by compatriot Daniel Altmaier in a late-night thriller in three sets. It follows his semifinal loss to Jordan Thompson in Los Cabos. That means Zverev concluded the Mexican swing without winning any title despite being the top seed at both tournaments.
But by virtue of participating in the first round in Acapulco, Zverev was guaranteed a paycheck amounting to $17,210, which took his career earnings past the $40 million mark. This is a landmark achievement by the German.
He is now just the ninth tennis player, man or woman, to attain this figure, joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Pete Sampras, Venus Williams and Simona Halep in the list.
Zverev is currently sixth in the men's all-time list of highest prize money earners and one of only two players who are in the Top 10 without winning a Grand Slam tournament (the other being David Ferrer). But the 26-year-old has a resume to be proud of.
He was a runner-up at the 2020 US Open and has won a total of 21 career titles on the ATP Tour, five of which are Masters crowns. Zverev has also lifted the ATP Finals on two occasions - the only double champion at the season finale outside Djokovic in the last decade.
This season, Zverev is among the top earners. He has banked $1,440,435 so far (excluding his prize money in Acapulco). The Hamburg native was the catalyst behind Germany's stunning triumph at the United Cup, where they earned big in prize money.
Zverev then proceeded to play at the Australian Open, where he scored a fine win over World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. He outplayed Daniil Medvedev for two sets in the semifinal but lost in five sets. His next tournament will be the Indian Wells Masters, which begins on March 6th, and he is planning on playing fewer tournaments in 2024.