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"It's no one else's fault; At the end of the day, as the World No. 3, I have to take responsibility for the things I do and don't do" - Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev at the 2022 Australian Open
Alexander Zverev at the 2022 Australian Open

In a press conference after his exit from the 2022 Australian Open, Alexander Zverev admitted that it was neither his coach's nor his team's fault. Rather, the World No. 3 took complete responsibility for the defeat.

Denis Shapovalov stunned the tennis world by beating Zverev in straight sets in the fourth round of the Melbourne Slam. Enjoying a first-serve win percentage of 77%, the Canadian won the match 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3.

🇨🇦 Denis Shapovalov upsets world no. 3 🇩🇪 Alexander Zverev in straight sets at the #AusOpen! https://t.co/31pUKijTJS

Zverev accepted that except for his match against John Millman, he didn't play great tennis at Melbourne Park

Zverev obliterates his racquet in frustration.
#AusOpen #AO2022 https://t.co/DRXrtuWZAj
"I was playing bad the whole week. To be honest, I didn't think I was playing that great. Except against John Millman maybe I had a good match, but the other two matches weren't great either," said Zverev.
"It's no one else's fault. It's not the coach's fault, it's not my team's fault, it's no one else's fault. It's purely me. At the end of the day, as the world No. 3, I have to take responsibilities for the things I do and don't do. Today was, yeah, was just not good enough to beat someone like Denis," added the World No. 3.

Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open 2022
Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open 2022

Zverev also gave credit to Shapovalov for his "incredible" performance, stating that the Canadian "deserves" to be in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Denis Shapovalov at the Australian Open 2022
Denis Shapovalov at the Australian Open 2022

"I mean, look, I obviously, I give credit to Denis. It's incredible he's in the quarters. I think he deserves it. He's done a lot of work. He's improved his game. But I've got to look at myself, as well," mentioned Zverev.

Shapovalov will face World No. 5 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Slam on Tuesday.

🤫 Don’t tell anyone…

🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal is into his 14th #AusOpen quarterfinal!

The world No.5 defeats Adrian Mannarino 7-6(14) 6-2 6-2 in two hours and 40 minutes.

🎥: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis

#AO2022 https://t.co/oT0E9u590g

"I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No. 1. But if I play like that, I don't deserve it" - Alexander Zverev

In the same press conference, Zverev opined that he doesn't deserve the World No. 1 ranking if he continues to play the way he played against Shapovalov. The German stressed that he has "got to do better" in the future.

Alexander Zverev at the Rolex Paris Masters
Alexander Zverev at the Rolex Paris Masters
"At the end of the day, I've got to do better. I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No. 1 and all that. But if I play like that, I don't deserve it. It's as simple as that," stated Zverev.

Following his fourth-round exit in Melbourne, Alexander Zverev will drop 190 points in the ATP rankings and will remain World No. 3 for now.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic is "probably the best" player on hardcourt, but Medvedev, Tsitsipas and I also play well on the surface: Alexander Zverev

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