Alexander Zverev was one of the latest big name casualties at the Mexican Open this year after his loss to Miomir Kecmanovic.
Zverev had few regrets from the Australian Open, despite his crushing five set defeat in the semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz, where he served for the match.
A lot of this has to be down to the way he has been playing this year, with Zverev admittedly trying to play more aggressively, something he has been criticised for not doing previously.
Zverev was rewarded with a first round win against Corentin Moutet, but bad habits have certainly not been removed from the German’s game after his defeat to Kecmanovic.
Alexander Zverev continues to be too passive in the biggest moments
Zverev was beaten by Kecmanovic, 6-3 6(3)-7 7-6(4), in his first defeat against the Serbian since 2019.
This is the first time Kecmanovic has ever beaten a top five player in his career, showing just how big of a shock it is for Zverev to have lost this match.
Kecmanovic’s comments after the match were particularly interesting, as he highlighted that Zverev continues to be too passive in the biggest moments of matches.
“I was more aggressive when it mattered,” Kecmanovic told Tennis TV. “I served a lot better than my usual standards, so I’m happy that things went well today.”
Zverev had the only break point opportunity in the third set and also found himself 4-3 up in the deciding tie-break, before losing the last four points of the match.
Many have called Zverev the best player not to win a Grand Slam, but it is going to remain that way if he continues to play this way.
All Grand Slam champions are rewarded for being brave in the biggest moments, and that is something that Zverev just does not seem able to do at the moment.
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Alexander Zverev has an opportunity to try something new at Indian Wells
While this is a concerning sign for Zverev, he now has the opportunity to try something new just next week.
Zverev’s next tournament is the first Masters 1000 event of the year at Indian Wells, a tournament where he has struggled in recent years.
This includes last year’s event, where Zverev lost to Tallon Griekspoor in his only match at the tournament.
As a result, this means that Zverev is defending only 10 points at Indian Wells this year, meaning that he has less pressure on him at the tournament.
This gives Zverev the perfect opportunity to hit more freely and be more aggressive in the biggest moments of his matches.
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The courts at Indian Wells may make this more challenging for Zverev as they are slower than most hard courts, but it is therefore the perfect test for him to see just how aggressive he can be when push comes to shove.
Zverev will begin his Indian Wells campaign next week, with the main draw getting underway on Wednesday, March 4.
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