Alexander Zverev makes feelings crystal clear on his and Carlos Alcaraz’s No. 1 bid in Jannik Sinner’s absence after “terrible” Indian Wells crash-out

Alexander Zverev Reflects on His Struggles and the Race for World No. 1

Alexander Zverev has offered an honest assessment of his and Carlos Alcaraz’s fading hopes of claiming the World No. 1 ranking in Jannik Sinner’s absence. Following his early exit at Indian Wells, the German acknowledged that his mindset has shifted significantly regarding the possibility.

Zverev suffered a shocking 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) defeat to Tallon Griekspoor in his opening match on Friday, March 7. As the tournament’s top seed—given Sinner’s absence—he was expected to make a deep run but instead fell at the first hurdle.

This loss continues Zverev’s struggles since his Australian Open final defeat to Sinner. His 4-4 win-loss record since Melbourne has now all but ended his realistic shot at reaching No. 1. With Jannik Sinner set to forfeit 1,600 ranking points due to his suspension (February 9 – May 4), Zverev had a golden opportunity to close the gap. However, his Indian Wells exit cost him 190 points, widening the distance instead.

Zverev’s Diminishing Hopes for the No. 1 Spot

Currently, Sinner (11,330 points) holds a 3,385-point lead over World No. 2 Zverev (7,945 points), while Alcaraz (6,520 points) remains a distant third with inconsistent results.

After his defeat, Zverev admitted that the possibility of reaching No. 1 no longer dominates his thoughts:

“It was [a goal] in the beginning,” he said in his Indian Wells press conference. “Now it’s less, because I’m just playing terrible.”

The three-time Grand Slam finalist was brutally honest about his current form:

“For me, I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become World No. 1, you have to win tournaments. I’m not even getting past the first or second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first.”

A Disastrous Run of Results

Following his straight-sets defeat to Sinner in Melbourne, Zverev made a controversial early switch to clay courts in South America—a decision that seems to have backfired.

• Argentina Open – Lost in his second match to Francisco Cerundolo
• Rio Open – Defeated by Francisco Comesana in the third match
• Mexican Open (Acapulco) – Shocked by Learner Tien in the second round
• Indian Wells – Early exit against Tallon Griekspoor

Zverev: “I’m Just Disappointed With My Game”

When asked whether his Australian Open heartbreak was still affecting him, Zverev admitted:

“Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe a little bit.”

However, he refused to use it as an excuse:

“I can sit here and make excuses, but at the end of the day, I’m just not playing good tennis. It’s as simple as that. I’m not playing at the level I want to play, definitely nowhere near what I played in Australia. This is the end result… I’m just disappointed with my game. That’s the No. 1 thing for me.”

Turning the Focus to Miami

Zverev will now shift his attention to the Miami Open (March 16-30), where he will try to regain form ahead of the clay-court season. He has 400 points to defend, while Sinner, as the 2024 champion, is set to drop 1,000 points.

Can Zverev turn things around before the European clay swing?