Alexander Zverev took three weeks off after his semifinal run at the Australian Open in January.
Zverev was knocked out in the final four at Melbourne Park in a five-set marathon with eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The German went within a game of advancing to the final, but Alcaraz outlasted him, with the bout lasting five hours and 27 minutes.
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Following his lengthy campaign Down Under, Zverev opted not to feature at any of the ATP 500s and 250s on offer in the first half of February.
He will now return to action at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, where he is a former champion.
Alexander Zverev explains the change he has made in his game
Ahead of his run in Acapulco, Zverev revealed what he has been doing since the Australian Open.
In an interview with Tennis TV, the 28-year-old said: “I didn’t play anything after the Australian Open.
“I took some time off and did some really good training because I just want to continue playing a certain style, playing a certain way, and I feel like that takes a lot of training, that takes a lot of, maybe adjusting also, because it’s, for me, a very different style, a very different game to last year.
“I’m just trying to do that, I’m just trying new things. Yeah, just took some time off, came here [Acapulco] on Monday, so I’ve been here a while, trying to prepare, trying to practice and trying to play a good tournament.”
Where will Alexander Zverev finish 2026 ranked?
Asked what changes he has made, Zverev replied: “Yeah, just a lot more aggressive, trying to hit the ball a lot harder to be honest, also trying to come in a bit more.
“You know, trying to take the racket out of my opponent’s hand, a bit more rather than rallying, rather than winning by just being physically fitter sometimes.
“So yeah, that’s just the adjustment that has been made, I feel like in the offseason, it’s been the adjustment that has been made for this year, and we’re trying to stick to it, we’re trying to stick to that game plan, and we’ll see where it can bring us this year.”
Alexander Zverev’s results so far in 2026
Zverev has tallied a win-loss record of 6-2 so far this year, having featured at just two tournaments.
He started his 2026 campaign at the United Cup, where Zverev, representing Germany, claimed a win over Tallon Griekspoor before losing to Hubert Hurkacz.
Then, Zverev entered the Australian Open, where he was tested in his first three matches.
Zverev dropped sets to Gabriel Diallo, Alexandre Muller and Cameron Norrie in rounds one, two and three.
The world number four claimed his first straight-sets victory in round four over Francisco Cerundolo.
In the quarterfinals, Zverev came through a difficult assignment in Learner Tien to set up the match with Alcaraz, who came out on top en route to becoming the youngest man ever to complete the Career Grand Slam.
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