Alexander Zverev was forced to settle for the role of runner-up once again on the ATP Tour after losing the Madrid Open final to Jannik Sinner.
While Sinner produced a world-class display in Spain, his opponent was well below par in the hugely one-sided affair.
Indeed, Zverev felt the need to apologise after his Madrid Open final against the world number one was over after less than one hour.
Sinner cruised past Zverev 6-1, 6-2 for his fourth successive ATP Masters 1000 title, and in the process extended their head-to-head record to 10-4.
The Italian clinched the title in the absence of his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz, both of whom Zverev made reference to after his humbling in Madrid.
When does Jannik Sinner next lose a tennis match? 👀
Alexander Zverev makes incorrect claim about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Zverev stated Sinner is better than Alcaraz, but also drew comparisons between himself and the Spaniard when asked if he thinks there is a big gap between that duo and the rest of the ATP Tour.
He said: “Well, I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now. It’s quite simple. I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else.
“And I think there’s a big gap between Alcaraz, myself, maybe Novak [Djokovic], and everybody else. I think there’s two gaps right now.
“It’s difficult to say that there’s not a gap between Sinner and everybody else if he hasn’t lost a match in how many Masters events? Since Shanghai.
“He hasn’t lost a match in almost nine months. I think you have to admit that there’s a gap between him and everybody else, yeah.”
It was an intriguing response from Zverev to say the least, although it definitely isn’t correct.
He has enjoyed a hugely impressive career and has done his best to keep tabs on the leading duo, but they are simply miles ahead of the chasing pack.
The ATP rankings highlight his mistake, with Sinner and Alcaraz on 14,350 and 12,960 points respectively, compared to the 5,805 of Zverev.
He is third in the rankings behind only the Italian and the Spaniard, but he’s well off the pace that they have been setting for some time.
His performance and result against Sinner in Madrid simply reinforce the current scenario, with Zverev unfortunately not on the same level as the top two players in the world.
What does Alexander Zverev have to do to change his results against Jannik Sinner?
Serena Williams’ former coach shuts down Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz claims
Intriguingly, there have been comments suggesting that Sinner and Alcaraz have been heavily favored by tournament directors in recent times.
But Rick Macci, who once coached WTA legend Serena Williams, has now shut down the “silly” comments.
“For players and ex-players to chirp about the tournament directors creating the same court speed and using the same ball to help Sinner and Alcaraz is beyond silly,” he posted on X.
“Talent, skill, mindset, hard work and what type of package you are bringing to the event will most of the time determine how it went.”
Sinner and Alcaraz will, of course, not be listening to any outside noise, with their focused mindset constantly allowing them to concentrate on the task at hand.
The pair have dominated tennis for many seasons now, and even with Alcaraz’s injury, it doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon.
