AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2022

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

D. SHAPOVALOV/A. Zverev

6-3, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Bad luck today. What went wrong in your game?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Everything.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Was there anything Denis did today that surprised you that you hadn't seen before?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, he was standing back on the returns, which I haven't seen before. I think he was making a lot more returns. To be honest, there is not much I can say or take away that was positive from today. Maybe since Wimbledon, one of the worst matches I have played. It's just tough.

I mean, look, I obviously, I give credit to Denis. It's incredible he's in the quarters. I think he deserves it. He's done a lot of work. He's improved his game. But I've got to look at myself, as well. Today was just, yeah, today was just, in my opinion, awful from my side.

Q. Did you feel it coming in any way that practice sessions or anything before this to give you an indication you might have an off day?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I was playing bad the whole week. To be honest, I didn't think I was playing that great. Except against John Millman maybe I had a good match, but the other two matches weren't great either.

It's very different also playing during the day and during the night here. I think that didn't help me in a way, as well. There is no excuses.

At the end of the day, I've got to do better. I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No. 1 and all that. But if I play like that, I don't deserve it. It's as simple as that.

Q. Picking up on that for later in the year, World No. 1, do you think you can regroup and still push for that goal this year?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think after a match like this, it's very silly to talk about it. I think I need to figure myself out first.

Q. In a sense, you played so well at the end of last year, you really were playing your best tennis, it seemed, best-of-three, best-of-five, didn't seem to matter. Is there anything you could have done differently in terms of the preparation or the way you focused on the season...

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I had a good offseason. I had good preparation. It's sometimes not only that. Yeah, look, there are no excuses. I need to be better, I need to do better. It's as simple as that.

It's no one else's fault. It's not the coach's fault, it's not my team's fault, it's no one else's fault. It's purely me. At the end of the day, as the world No. 3, I have to take responsibilities for the things I do and don't do. Today was, yeah, was just not good enough to beat someone like Denis.