Alexander Zverev will make his return to ATP action at the Mexican Open this week, nearly a month after his near-miss in the Australian Open semifinals.
In the final four at Melbourne Park, Zverev lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set marathon, during which he came agonisingly close to winning.
The German went down two sets in the match, but fought his way back to force a decisive fifth set, before finding a break of serve to go within a game of advancing to the final.
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A defiant Alcaraz, who had suffered from cramp earlier in the match, earned a break of his own to come back and seal the win en route to becoming the youngest man ever to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Now, ahead of his campaign in Acapulco, Zverev reflected on the semifinal defeat Down Under.
Alexander Zverev reflects on the Australian Open semifinal loss
“I felt like Australia, I played the right way,” said the 28-year-old, speaking to Tennis TV.
“I lost the match because I got tired in the end, to be very honest. I had nothing left at 5-4.
“I mean, yeah, there were a few points, especially the first point I remember in the game, where, you know, I should have hit the forehand a bit earlier, I should have hit the backhand a bit earlier, but to do that, you have to move to those balls, and I just couldn’t move there anymore.
“You know, that was probably the reason why I lost the match. And also Carlos, obviously, for two sets had a bit of a break physically, he wasn’t moving as much, whereas I had to really get back into the match.
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“But I still feel like Australia, in a way, was a success, even though I didn’t win the tournament.
“It was a success in a way that, you know, I feel like my game was working, and the plan that we had for this year seems to be working. And yeah, I’m happy about that, and we continue doing the work.”
Alexander Zverev’s first opponent at the 2026 Mexican Open
With the Australian Open loss behind him, Zverev will now set his sights on the Mexican Open, where he is a former champion.
Two years after losing the 2019 final to Nick Kyrgios, Zverev overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas to hoist the 2021 Acapulco trophy.
In the first round of the 2026 edition of the tournament, Zverev will take on Corentin Moutet, whom he has faced twice before.
Both of Zverev’s past meetings with Moutet came last year, and he emerged victorious in both of them.
Zverev defeated the Frenchman in the round of 16 at both the Stuttgart Open and the China Open in 2025.
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