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Alexander Zverev (Germany), who suffered a shocking defeat just two days after rising to No. 1 in the men’s tennis world rankings, expressed his discomfort.
On the 4th (Korean time), at the second round (Round of 32) of the singles draw at the 2026 Men’s Professional Tennis (ATP) Tour Paris Masters held in Paris, France, Zverev lost to Lorenzo Musetti (Italy, world No. 24) with a score of 0-2 (6-7 [5-7], 2-6).
Previously, Zverev reached No. 1 in the world rankings for the first time in his career on the 2nd. However, he tasted the humiliation of an early exit from the tournament by losing in his first match just two days later.
In particular, Zverev expressed dissatisfaction with the attention directed at him rather than the burden of being No. 1 in the world after the match.
AFP News reported that “Zverev lost in his first match after reaching No. 1 in the world rankings,” adding that “Zverev claimed that the burden of being No. 1 did not affect his poor performance.”
According to the report, Zverev was asked at a press conference whether the pressure of being No. 1 affected his defeat. In response, Zverev confessed, “I don’t know if it was stress. To be honest, I have been a bit irritated over the past few days.”
He then said, “I think reaching No. 1 in the world rankings is something every tennis player dreams of.”
He continued, “But I seem to be the only No. 1 player in tennis history who has to explain why being No. 1 is a good thing. That is quite difficult,” emphasizing, “Although I lost today, I believe I deserve to be here.”
It is an inevitably disappointing situation for Zverev. He won his first Grand Slam title at this year’s French Open and then reached the top of the US Open as well. Building on that momentum, he secured the No. 1 world ranking and was enjoying a peak season.
However, amid comparisons with other top players such as Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), Zverev expressed his discomfort at having to explain whether he deserved his position even after reaching No. 1 in the world.
On this day, Zverev failed to block Musetti’s sharp attacks. In particular, Musetti demonstrated excellent concentration. Although Zverev led 5-2 in the first-set tiebreak and appeared to be taking the first set, Musetti won five consecutive points to achieve a dramatic comeback.
In the second set, Zverev became even more unsettled. Musetti pressured Zverev with his sharp slice backhand, and Zverev committed consecutive errors. Ultimately, he allowed two breaks and collapsed 2-6.
AFP News assessed that “Zverev made a string of mistakes and lost helplessly to Musetti.”
The victorious Musetti could not hide his joy. He stated, “I was enjoying the match. Even when I was behind in the tiebreak, I kept thinking about enjoying the beauty of the sport of tennis.”
He then shared his impressions, saying, “That mindset led to a good result. I am happy.”
On the other hand, Zverev acknowledged his poor performance. He said, “Simply put, Musetti played really well, and I played really badly,” adding, “My game was not good at all. It may have been one of the worst matches I have played in recent months.”
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
