Frustration assailed Alexander Zverev after his defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters 1000. The defending champion – who is destined to drop to third place in the ATP ranking after this tournament – wasted numerous chances in the first set and had to surrender to the young Italian star, who raised the level exponentially starting from the tiebreak and was almost flawless in the second set.
After losing the final at the Australian Open, Sascha's season took a turn for the worse and the German ace was no longer able to play his best tennis in the most important events. The current world number 2 lifted the trophy at the Munich ATP 250, but in the Masters 1000 he collected only disappointments and everyone's feeling is that he has taken a significant step back compared to the second part of the 2024 season.
Rick Macci blasts Sascha
As if that were not enough, Sascha vented all his nervousness at the end of the match against Musetti complaining about the balls that would have created much more favorable conditions for his opponent's game.
Through his official X profile, legendary coach Rick Macci – who has worked with icons of the caliber of Serena and Venus Williams – rebuked Zverev for his statements.
“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,” he wrote.
The player from Hamburg will have to practice very hard in the days that separate him from Roland Garros, where he will have to defend the final reached twelve months ago.
Alexander has lost all his certainties after that defeat against Sinner at Melbourne Park and it will not be easy to regain confidence, given that he has suffered so many painful defeats in recent months.
The German will not play tournaments next week, but will practice before flying to Paris for the second Major of the season.
