Alexander Zverev was too honest about his feelings after losing to Lorenzo Musetti at the 2025 Italian Open in Rome, and his comments were not very well received.
Zverev was close to reaching the World No. 1 rank multiple times during his tennis career, and his biggest chance came during Jannik Sinner's three-month suspension. The German player couldn't convert that chance into the top ranking spot, but he still entered the Italian Open in Rome as one of the top favorites.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist was the second seed, and he was also the defending champion at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome. However, he lost in the quarter-finals to Lorenzo Musetti.
The Italian has been playing some inspired tennis this year, especially on clay, and it showed in his match against Zverev. Musetti came back from 5-6 and 0-40 down to win the first set, eventually winning the match 7-6(1), 6-4.
It was an impressive win for Musetti, who delighted the Italian crowd at Foro Italico. One person who wasn't so delighted was Zverev, who had to speak to the media present in Rome after the match, and he was quite honest about his feelings.
According to Zverev, Musetti "depends" on mistakes made by his opponents, and since the German player made plenty in their match, he lost it.
"I don't know. I think he plays similar when he plays on clay all the time. He depends a lot on defense. He depends a lot on the mistakes from other opponents."
Zverev's comment was very paradoxical for many reasons. First of all, both he and Musetti hit the exact same number of winners in the match (20). Another reason why Zverev's comment is so bizarre is the fact that he is often the one criticized for a lack of aggression in his matches.
According to many pundits, analysts, and former players, Zverev could have already won a Grand Slam had he not played so defensively, especially in deciding moments. Being passive and too defensive is something that Zverev has been criticized for a lot in recent years.
On top of that, many fans didn't like the derogatory nature of Zverev's comments about his opponent. Some felt that he wasn't gracious in defeat, and it wasn't only tennis fans who noticed the German's comments.
Rick Macci, who is the former coach of the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, noticed one of Zverev's comments as well. In his post-match press conference, the German player didn't make comments only about his opponent, but also about the balls used in Rome.
Macci responded to those comments, saying that while the winners try to find the way to succeed, losers find excuses, criticizing the German for his comments.
"Zverev was complaining about the balls too fuzzy and too soft. Always remember one thing. It is what it is. Your opponent hits the same ball. Greatness does not make excuses, they excuse opponents."
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