Alexander Zverev was looking to return to form at Indian Wells having struggled on the ATP Tour recently.
The German ATP star began the 2025 season with Grand Slam ambitions, and started strongly in Melbourne.
Zverev reached the final of the Australian Open, with wins over Ugo Humbert, Tommy Paul, and Novak Djokovic.
As was the case in his previous two Major finals, he came up short, as Zverev lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets, 3-6, 6-7, 3-6.
The 27-year-old then traveled to South America for the clay ‘golden swing’, before heading north for tournaments in Acapulco and at Indian Wells.
He struggled to perform, however, as Zverev now reveals what he thinks is going wrong.
Alexander Zverev says his first serve is ‘terrible’ after losing his opening match at Indian Wells
Zverev lost to Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of Indian Wells, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, as he suffered another shock defeat.
During his post-match press conference, Zverev was asked whether the opportunity to take the world number one ranking from Jannik Sinner had affected him recently.
“It was in the beginning,” he said.
“Now it’s less, because I’m just playing terrible.
“So for me, I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become world number one, you have to win tournaments.
“I’m not getting past first or second round at the moment, so I need to figure that out first.”
The German star then explained what he’s been struggling the most with since reaching the final of the Australian Open.
“There’s a bit of everything,” said Zverev.
“I think I’m serving quite badly the last few weeks.
“My second serve is fine, but my first serve is terrible.
“From the back of the court I’m not playing great.
“It’s everything, you can’t really name one thing.”
Zverev’s serving was far from perfect against Griekspoor, hitting just 66% of his first serves, his lowest percentage on hard courts this season.
| Player | Aces | Double faults | First serve % | Win % on first serve | Win % on second serve |
| Alexander Zverev | 6 | 2 | 66 | 66 | 62 |
| Tallon Griekspoor | 10 | 9 | 68 | 70 | 50 |
Alexander Zverev’s ‘terrible’ run of form following the Australian Open
Having lost in the final of the Australian Open, Zverev was offered a real boost to his world number one ambitions, as Jannik Sinner was banned from tennis for three months.
Entering his next three tournaments as the number one seed and heavy favorite, Zverev failed to capitalize on the opportunity, winning just a handful of matches.
| Tournament | Round | Result | Opponent | Opponent’s rank | Score |
| Indian Wells | 2R | Loss | Tallon Griekspoor | 43 | 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 |
| Mexican Open | 2R | Loss | Learner Tien | 83 | 3-6, 4-6 |
| Mexican Open | 1R | Win | Matteo Arnaldi | 33 | 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 |
| Rio Open | QF | Loss | Francisco Comesana | 86 | 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 |
| Rio Open | 2R | Win | Alexander Shevchenko | 103 | 7-6, 7-6 |
| Rio Open | 1R | Win | Yunchaokete Bu | 69 | 7-6, 6-4 |
| Argentina Open | QF | Loss | Francisco Cerundolo | 28 | 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 |
| Argentina Open | 2R | Win | Dusan Lajovic | 81 | 6-4, 6-4 |
His worst defeat came at the Mexican Open, as Zverev lost to world number 83 Learner Tien in straight sets, 3-6, 4-6.
Winning just four of his last eight matches, the form Zverev showed in Melbourne seems a distant memory.
He’ll hope to get back on track at the Miami Open later this month, a tournament he enjoyed success at in 2024.
The German breezed through to the semi-finals in Florida, where he narrowly came up short against Grigor Dimitrov in a three-set thriller.
He’ll no doubt be hoping for even more in 2025, when the Miami Open kicks off on March 17.
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