Alexander Zverev says his loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime "doesn't hurt much" because he didn't play "anywhere near" the level required
Alexander Zverev suffered a five-set defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Wimbledon fourth round on Monday. And after the match, Zverev admitted that he didn't play close to the level needed to win Grand Slam tournaments.
The fourth seed squandered leads in all the three sets he dropped during his 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-3, 4-6 loss to Auger-Aliassime. Plagued by serving woes all match, Zverev leaked 20 double faults - three of them in the opening game of the fifth set - which put an end to his quest of reaching the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slams.
Disappointed with his level of play, Zverev claimed during his post-match presser that he failed to up his game based on the level of competition he faced during the tournament.
"Honestly, this loss doesn't hurt much because I didn't play anywhere near the level I'm supposed to play in a Grand Slam," Zverev said. "I mean, from now on, the matches would have gotten more difficult, and I don't think I was playing tennis well enough to go all the way."
After making his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open last year (lost to Dominic Thiem), Alexander Zverev reached the Australian Open quarterfinals and Roland Garros semis to start 2021. But his wait for a maiden Slam title continues, and the German claimed during his presser that a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon was 'quite early' for him.
"I think I always say the same thing, but I'm at a stage where what I want is to win Grand Slams, so I needed to play a lot to do better here," Zverev said. "I lost in the fourth round which, for me, is quite early, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that I need to play better."
"Today I gave my rival too many gifts" - Alexander Zverev
Following his first defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime in four meetings, Alexander Zverev rued giving away too many freebies to his opponent.
Zverev lost his serve six times in the match and his second serve in particular was a huge liability; the German won just 34% of the points behind it. In comparison, Auger-Aliassime won 60% of his second-serve points.
Moreover, Zverev failed to build on his leads in three of the five sets, something that has plagued him at Major tournaments in the past too. The 24-year-old admitted that he gave too many 'gifts' to Auger-Aliassime, even though he played decently during the grasscourt season overall.
"I think I played well during this grass tour, but I also have to look at myself a bit and do analysis," Zverev said. "Today I gave my rival many gifts, I think this is a reality, especially in important moments."
Zverev also praised his Canadian opponent for capitalising on the opportunities that came his way, saying:
"I give all the credit to him. He knew how to take advantage of his opportunities. Now he is in the quarterfinals, so his tournament continues."
Felix Auger-Aliassime next meets Matteo Berrettini for a place in the Wimbledon semifinals.