MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 8, 2022

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/A. Zverev

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. He plays so well, but usually in Madrid you are the champion. Give me an explanation, because the way Carlos played was too much? Your serve was not so good?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, he's playing amazing. There's absolutely no doubt about it. He's playing amazing.

But one thing I have to say is that the ATP's job was an absolute disgrace this week. Two days ago I went to bed at 4:00, 4:30 a.m. Yesterday I went to bed at 5:20 a.m.

You know, if any normal person goes to bed one night at 4:00 a.m., the next night at 5:00 a.m., it will be a tough time just to be awake for them.

And for me to play a final against Carlos Alcaraz, who for me is the best player in the world right now, in a Masters 1000 event, the next day, it is difficult. Today on court, I'm a little bit -- now I'm a little bit angry, I would say, because I had no coordination today. I had no coordination on my serve, I had no coordination on my groundstrokes. I missed two overheads that were super easy because I see the ball, and everything is moving in my eyes.

I don't want to take anything away, and today obviously, even if I'm fresh, probably I would not beat Carlos, but definitely would be a better match. At the end of the day, I think all of us have stayed up late, all of us maybe partied sometimes, but if you are staying up until 4:00 a.m., the next day, you are dead. I played the next day. If you're doing it again, the next day until 5:00 a.m., you will have a difficult time to be even awake.

I don't want to take anything away. He's a great player. He's the best in the world right now. But to be honest, I feel sad for the final that we played, because this could have been a very good match. This could have been a great match.

But I had absolutely no chance today of being myself. I had absolutely no chance of playing my level. This is not the first time this is happening. I mean, in Acapulco I played until 5:00 a.m. I played until 5:00 a.m. I was awake until 8:30 a.m. This is happening on a weekly basis, and to be honest, I'm a little bit tired of it.

Q. Is there a change so these things don't happen anymore?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: The scheduling needs to be done better. At the end of the day -- yesterday I started my match at 11:00 p.m. I played three sets. Finished at 1:30, whatever time I finished.

Until I get back to the hotel, until I eat, until I do my work with the physio because I have to prepare my body for the next day, it's 5:00 a.m.

You know, as I said, for a normal person, I'm sure you have stayed up late. If you stay up until 4:00, 5:00 a.m., the next day you are tired. If you do it two nights in a row, you are completely dead. You are destroyed. You will not be able to do physical activity on a maximum level.

And to play Carlos Alcaraz in a Masters 1000 event in a final where he's playing the best tennis of his life, to be able to compete with him, you have to be at the top of your level. You have to be above your level. But it is impossible if you are going to bed at 5:00 a.m. It is just simply not possible.

For me, it's quite upsetting, because it takes away a great match. It takes away the sport of tennis. I mean, to be honest, not one person in the stadium -- yes, most of the people in the stadium wanted Carlos to win and all of that, but nobody wanted to see a match like this. You know what I mean?

Everybody wanted to see a great fight. Everybody wanted to see some high-level tennis. But I'm also human. I'm not a robot. I can't. I simply I cannot be on my level when this is happening every single night.

It's -- I don't know. It's upsetting to me, because, as I said, in Acapulco I played until 5:00 a.m. Here, you know, the chances are being taken away from me, and at the end of the day, everybody forgets about those things. Nobody talks about it, you know. Everybody says, Yeah, it was a bad match, I made double faults, I didn't play well and all of that. But look at what is happening the days before. Look at what is actually happening behind the scenes, as well. It's not quite fair, I think.

Q. Did you go on court today with the frustration of knowing it would be almost impossible? Did you talk to the ATP about it?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, I didn't go on court with knowing it is impossible, because you always want to give yourself the best chance. But even during warmup today, I just talked to Sergi as well, he already saw during warmup that it's going to be difficult. Your timing is off.

Tennis is a very fast sport. If somebody is serving at you with 220 kilometers an hour, you need to be there. You need to be completely, timing for the ball perfectly. Even today during the warmup I was a little bit late all of the time. My first step was not so quick. In the end of the day, if you are playing the best players in the world, you have to be at your top. Otherwise you will have no chance. Today I had no chance.

I mean, it is like that. I had no breakpoints. I had very little chances of winning a point from the baseline. Yeah, at the end of the day this is the fact.

Again, I don't take anything away from Carlos. Carlos, as I said, is the best player in the world right now, and most likely I would have not won the match, but I would definitely have a fight. I would definitely be able to fight. I would do everything I can on the court to give myself a chance.

But today, there was nothing I can do, because the ball is coming at me 220 kilometers an hour and my head is spinning pretty match. Yeah, it's not easy sometimes.

Q. Your father is better? Your personal things are going okay? Sergi Bruguera, he knows Carlos from Davis Cup, so no secrets. But your personal thing, how it's going, if you can tell?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, as I said, it is a difficult time for me. I think you can see in this world that, yeah, the world is kind of a double standard right now that you have to prove yourself innocent. Until you prove yourself innocent you are guilty, basically, in the world that we live in right now, which is not very fair at times.

But I hope it's coming to an end, everything. I hope the whole thing is coming to an end at some point, and then I can also play calmly and be focused with my tennis.

My father is going to be back in Rome, which I'm very happy about. Yeah, hopefully it's going to be a big step toward the right direction for me, because this year it has been an extremely difficult time for me, I have to say.