Este contenido ha sido traducido por IA.Ver original
Alexander Zverev (Germany), who suffered a shocking defeat just two days after reaching world No. 1 in men's tennis rankings, expressed his discomfort.
On the 4th (Korean time), at the second round (Round of 32) of the singles draw at the 2026 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 had reached world No. 1 in the 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 not with the burden of being world No. 1, but with the gaze directed at him after the match.
AFP News reported that "Zverev lost in his first match after reaching world No. 1 in the rankings," adding that "Zverev claimed that the burden of being world No. 1 did not affect his poor performance."
According to the report, Zverev was asked at a press conference whether the pressure of being world No. 1 had 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 stated, "I think reaching world No. 1 in the rankings is something every tennis player dreams of."
He continued, "But I seem to be the only world No. 1 player in tennis history who has to explain why being world 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 unavoidable situation for Zverev to feel regretful. 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 foundation, he secured world No. 1 in the rankings and was enjoying a peak season.
However, Zverev expressed discomfort at having to explain whether he deserved his position after reaching world No. 1, amid comparisons with other top players such as Carlos Alcaraz (Spain).
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 seemed poised to take 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 sharp slice backhands, and Zverev committed successive 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."
© STARNEWS. Todos los derechos reservados. Prohibida su reproducción
Este contenido ha sido traducido por IA.Ver original
