Alexander Zverev sets unwanted Indian Wells record following his shocking opening round defeat

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Alexander Zverev suffered one of his most shocking defeats as his Indian Wells campaign came to an end.

As the World number two, the German entered the Masters 1000 event as the top seed due to the absence of World number one Jannik Sinner.

Following some unsatisfactory results on the clay in South America, Zverev was looking to change that at the Indian Wells Masters.

But before the likes of rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz have even taken to the court in the Californian desert, Zverev is already packing his bags.

Alexander Zverev breaks new ground at Indian Wells but not in the way he wanted

Alexander Zverev began his 2025 Indian Wells campaign against Tallon Griekspoor, a player he won his last five matches against.

He looked to be on his way to a sixth successive win against the Dutchman, as Zverev led 6-4, 5-2. But things significantly changed as Zverev lost a second-set tiebreak before inexplicably losing 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, after Griekspoor converted his sixth match point.

This is the earliest the three-time Grand Slam runner-up has lost at Indian Wells since making his main draw debut.

According to Opta Ace, Zverev is now the first top seed to lose their opening match at Indian Wells after claiming the first set.

What did Alexander Zverev say about his form after losing at Indian Wells?

Since Zverev’s Australian Open final defeat to Sinner, he has struggled on court.

He has been the top seed at his last three tournaments in Buenos Aires, Rio and Indian Wells, and has failed to go beyond the quarter-finals at each of those events.

Following his loss to Griekspoor, Zverev was honest about his form and admitted he has dipped since reaching the final in Melbourne.

“At the end of the day I’m just not playing good tennis at the moment,” said Zverev. “It’s as simple as that.

“I’m not playing at a level that I want to play, definitely not playing anywhere near what I played in Australia. I’m just disappointed with my game. That’s No. 1 thing for me.”