"The system is a disaster" - Alexander Zverev questions why Roger Federer is ranked higher than him
Alexander Zverev recently criticized the revamped ATP rankings, in which Roger Federer is placed higher than the German despite having played just one tournament in the last year. Zverev believes that the system put in place by ATP does not reward players fairly, and even called it a 'disaster'.
The ATP rankings were frozen in March last year, to provide protection to players who are unable to travel or participate in events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the new system, all the players - including stars like Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and even Alexander Zverev - have been retaining their ranking points from both 2019 and 2020.
Given that Federer was out of action for almost a year due to injury, the changes have undoubtedly benefited him the most. Due to the revised rules, the Swiss has only fallen to the 6th spot in the rankings; under the old system, the 39-year-old would have been outside the top 30 by this point.
Speaking to the media ahead of his Acapulco campaign, Alexander Zverev made it abundantly clear that he is not a fan of ATP’s ranking-freeze system. The German claimed that he should have been in the top 5 right now, instead of his current position of No. 7 (which is one spot behind Roger Federer).
"The ranking doesn't really matter to me and with the system we have now, I should be top 4 top 5 in the world in the normal system, but the system we have now is a bit absurd," Zverev said.
Alexander Zverev called himself Roger Federer’s ‘biggest fan’, but in the same breath expressed his displeasure at how the Swiss has benefited from the new ranking system.
"I am the biggest Roger Federer fan but he has not played for a year and he is higher ranked than me," Zverev continued. "I played a Grand Slam final, a Masters 1000 final. The system is just a disaster."
There will not be a second Rafael Nadal or a second Roger Federer: Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev did, however, shower some praise on Roger Federer too. While speaking about Carlos Alcaraz, Zverev asserted that the young Spaniard shouldn't put too much pressure on himself by trying to be the next Federer or the next Rafael Nadal.
Carlos Alcaraz is a 17-year-old prodigy that many have compared to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the recent past. Alcaraz is also Zverev’s first-round opponent at Acapulco.
"If there is one who had to deal with pressure is me, so I can understand it," Alexander Zverev said. "Just be yourself because, at the end of the day, there will not be a second Rafael Nadal, a second Federer."