Alexander Zverev has been handed a blow ahead of his first tournament since the Australian Open.
Zverev suffered heartbreak at the Australian Open, after losing in the semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz, despite serving for the match that lasted five hours and 27 minutes.
Following his disappointment in Melbourne, Zverev withdrew from the Rotterdam Open after citing ankle issues.
However, Zverev is now set to make his return to competition at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, but he has been handed a very tricky first match back.
Alexander Zverev handed tough draw at the Mexican Open
Zverev is the top seed at the Mexican Open, which has seen the withdrawals of Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti over the past week.
Despite some of his competition being eliminated from the draw, Zverev has still been handed a tricky opener against world number 34 Corentin Moutet.
Has Alexander Zverev just blown his last chance to win a Grand Slam?
Moutet enjoyed the best season of his career last year, which included obtaining two top 10 wins over Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.
However, Zverev will be encouraged by the fact that he leads the head-to-head against Moutet 2-0, with both of their previous meetings taking place last year.
Moutet is not the only threat in the draw for Zverev, who could also play Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round, with Cameron Norrie, Grigor Dimitrov, Casper Ruud and Flavio Cobolli also in his half of the draw.
| Mexican Open 2026 | Alexander Zverev’s Potential Opponent |
| First Round | Corentin Moutet |
| Second Round | Miomir Kecmanovic/Tristan Schoolkate |
| Quarterfinal | Cameron Norrie (7)/Grigor Dimitrov/Terence Atmane/Rafael Jodar |
| Semifinal | Casper Ruud (3)/Flavio Cobolli (5)/Adrian Mannarino/Eliot Spizzirri |
| Final | Alex de Minaur (2)/Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (4)/Valentin Vacherot (6)/Frances Tiafoe (8) |
Alexander Zverev’s previous results at the Mexican Open
Zverev will be making his eighth appearance at the Mexican Open this year, which has been a tournament of mixed fortunes for him.
The best result for the German in Acapulco came in 2021, when Zverev beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the title.
Where will Alexander Zverev finish 2026 ranked?
However, Zverev has also faced controversy at the Mexican Open, having been removed from the singles tournament in 2022 after smashing his racket against the umpire’s chair in his doubles match.
| Year | Alexander Zverev’s Result at the Mexican Open |
| 2018 | Semifinal |
| 2019 | Final |
| 2020 | Second Round |
| 2021 | Won the title |
| 2022 | Second Round (Disqualified from playing his second round match after conduct in doubles) |
| 2024 | First Round |
| 2025 | Second Round |
Since winning the title in 2021, Zverev has only won one of his last four matches at the Mexican Open.
Zverev will be hoping to change that this year, as he competes in both singles and doubles alongside Marcelo Melo.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
