Alexander Zverev names the player outside the big three on the ATP Tour who he ‘hates’ facing the most 

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Alexander Zverev has begun his Italian Open title defence in fine form, winning his opening two matches without dropping a set.

The world number two was dominant in his Rome opener, when Zverev beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 6-2, 6-1.

Dropping just three games in his second round match, the German only dropped one more in his third, as Zverev took down Vilius Gaubas, 6-4, 6-0.

Advancing to the fourth round just as he did in Madrid, Zverev now reflects on his shock defeat in the Spanish capital.

The 28-year-old says he ‘hates’ playing the ATP Tour star who handed him his most recent loss.

Alexander Zverev says he ‘hates’ playing Francisco Cerundolo after losing to him in Madrid

Zverev lost to Francisco Cerundolo, 5-7, 3-6, at the Madrid Open, an opponent he now admits he ‘hates’ playing.

“I definitely need matches for sure. I won a tournament in Munich a couple of weeks ago,” he said.

“I actually thought I played okay in Madrid, I lost to [Francisco] Cerundolo, who is kind of the opponent I hate to play the most, probably, outside of the top three or four guys, with Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] and all those.

“Let’s see how this week goes, I am looking forward to the rest of it. I am looking forward to hopefully playing some good matches, and then we will see where I end up.”

Zverev and Cerundolo have played each other three times in total, with the German yet to score a win against the Argentinian star.

• 2025 Madrid Open 4R – Francisco Cerundolo beat Alexander Zverev, 7-5, 6-3
• 2025 Argentina Open QF – Francisco Cerundolo beat Alexander Zverev, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
• 2024 Madrid Open 4R – Francisco Cerundolo beat Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 6-4

Luckily for Zverev, he has been placed in the opposite half of the Italian Open draw to Cerundolo, meaning a fourth career meeting between the pair won’t take place unless both players reach the final.

That’s not to say Zverev will have it easy in Rome, however, as he faces a tough test in his fourth-round match.

Alexander Zverev says his fourth-round opponent Arthur Fils has one of the ‘best forehands in the world’

Zverev continued to reflect upon the inconsistent start to his 2025 ATP Tour campaign.

“I think Miami was a good surface and a good tournament for me, but I was low on confidence,” he said.

“It was that period during the year for me where I was up in a lot of matches and was losing a lot of them.

Matches Alexander Zverev has lost with a one set lead in 2025

• 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters 2R – Alexander Zverev lost to Matteo Berrettini, 6-2, 4-6, 5-7
• 2025 Miami Open 4R – Alexander Zverev lost to Arthur Fils, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6
• 2025 Indian Wells 2R – Alexander Zverev lost to Tallon Griekspoor, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7
• 2025 Rio Open QF – Alexander Zverev lost to Francisco Comesana, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6
• 2025 Argentina Open QF – Alexander Zverev lost to Francisco Cerundolo, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6

“I was up a set and a break in Buenos Aires against Cerundolo. I was 4-1 up in the third in Rio.

“I was serving for the match at Indian Wells. And then I was up a break in the third set against Arthur [Fils] in Miami, so I was going through a period where I was losing a lot of matches that I shouldn’t have lost.”

Fils beat Zverev in the fourth round of the 2025 Miami Open, but Zverev is confident he can come out on top this time around.

“The title in Munich and the matches I played there have helped me, so I hope I may be a bit more confident than I was before that, and that will help me against Arthur,” said Zverev.

“He is a fantastic player, he has probably one of the best forehands in the world right now, so I have to be on top of my game.”

Zverev leads the head-to-head with Fils 3-2, a rivalry that has seen four of their five matches go to a deciding set.

His French opponent will be confident of tying things up at 3-3, following Fils’ impressive comeback victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Italian Open third round.

The pair exchanged words at the net after a controversial incident during the match, where Tsitsipas hit a ball straight at his opponent to win a point.

Only time will tell if we will see any more fiery exchanges when Fils returns to the court to take on Zverev in the fourth round.

Zverev and Fils will face off for a place in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Tuesday, May 13.