Zverev's behavior today has been shameful

Jose Morón | 3 May 2026 | 20.26

Zverev's behavior today has been shameful. Photo: Getty

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What we saw today in the Madrid Open final is hard to explain. One can understand that Jannik Sinner is on another level, difficult to match, let alone beat. However, what Alexander Zverev exhibited today is something that needs to be addressed because just like you, many others are wondering what happened at the Manolo Santana to lead to this outcome.

It's unjust that we have to talk about anything other than Sinner's superlative level after winning an M1000 and arriving in Rome unbeaten on this tour. But as lovers of this sport, we need to be critical of things that merit criticism, and what we witnessed in Madrid today should not have happened.

Zverev falls in Madrid Open final

Acknowledging that Jannik is playing incredibly and the expected outcome would be his victory, Sascha didn't even show up to compete in the Madrid final today. From the first service game, the German displayed a defeated posture. Disconnected in movement, lacking intensity, eyes downcast, almost unwilling to play. Incomprehensible. Zverev's performance today was shameful.

Zverev now has nine consecutive losses against the Italian, managing to win only two sets in all those matches. Furthermore, in their latest six encounters, Sascha has only won 31 games, averaging just 5 games per match. Very poor for someone ranked third in this sport. Today's events clearly indicate that the third-ranked player is light years away from numbers 1 and 2.

Although the dominance displayed by Sinner and Alcaraz reminds us of the era of the Big 3, we always criticized many opponents of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic who seemed defeated before even stepping onto the court against them. That's precisely what happened today. One can understand this attitude from a player ranked much lower, but not from the world number 3.

A phrase that says it all about Zverev.

🗣️ "Today I would have lost against anyone. My match was horrible today."

There's nothing more to say. pic.twitter.com/lDasDz2Dmp
— José Morón (@jmgmoron) May 3, 2026

As Rafa Nadal said, effort is non-negotiable. They might be better than you, but it's essential not to leave without trying, which is what Zverev did today: he didn't even try. The spectacle witnessed today, with thousands of people spending an average of 500-700 euros per ticket, is not the best image for this sport.

Zverev acknowledges his poor performance today

"Today I would have lost against anyone. I played a horrible match," stated Sascha in the post-final press conference. Prior to this, he complained about the scheduling this week in Madrid. "Not a single day this week did I go to bed before 4 in the morning. I was exhausted," explained Zverev.

This echo of excuses following his defeats is not new for Zverev. He has been doing this regularly in recent years. Whether he's right or not, Sascha should consider how a 19-year-old like Rafael Jódar faced Sinner head-on despite knowing he was inferior to the Italian. Attitude and competitiveness are non-negotiable, especially at the highest level of this sport.

Sascha has much to learn from someone like Jódar or even Fils, who was also clearly outmatched by Jannik on Friday but never stopped trying. His attitude was disappointing today in Madrid.

Surely, many who left the Manolo Santana today are questioning what happened to witness what we saw. Zverev himself couldn't explain it. Sinner is outstanding, no doubt, but entering finals with a different attitude would have been preferable to witnessing such a dismal spectacle in today's Madrid final.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Lo de Zverev hoy ha sido vergonzoso"