Alexander Zverev Bemoans Losing From 'Winning Position' After Another Shock Exit
News
Alexander Zverev's Golden Swing didn't go as he expected. The German player lost in the quarter-finals of both of the events he played.
As the ATP World No. 2 player, Zverev was the top seed in both of the events that he played in South America. In Buenos Aires, he lost in the quarter-finals, and the same round was his last also at the Rio Open.
It was a disappointing swing for Zverev, especially because it negatively impacted his chances of reaching the World No. 1 rank. Since the current leader, Jannik Sinner is suspended from competing, the three-time major finalist is in the pole position to overtake him.
But without adding too many points in Argentina and Brazil, Zverev's job will become so much harder. He doesn't shy away from admitting that he wants to become the World No. 1 player in his career, and Sinner's suspension presents him with a perfect chance to do that.
That's also why he had many reasons to be disappointed after his loss at the Rio Open. The German player led 4-1 in the third set of the match against Francisco Comesana, but he still lost it 6-4, 3-6, 4-6.
Zverev was aware that he was close to winning, which he recognized after the loss as well. He said he lost from a "winning position," which he was disappointed about.
At the same time, the German player was also able to find positives. He felt like he played better than he did at the Argentina Open, where he won one less match despite reaching the same round.
"Better level than Buenos Aires, but unfortunate to finish the tournament like this. I still enjoyed my time in Rio and hope to come back. It's one of the most beautiful 500s that I've ever played. Shame because I was in a winning position."
His opponent, 86th-ranked Francisco Comesana, on the other hand, made it to the semi-final of an ATP 500 event, which was a huge success for him.
After his win, the Argentinian player admitted that he only kept repeating to himself how blessed he was to be able to enjoy his match against Zverev.
"I was repeating to myself throughout the match, 'How good it is to be alive.' So, I was enjoying the entire match. I think it is because [of] all the hard work I have been doing to be here. I have to be grateful for this moment and I am enjoying [it]."
