Alexander Zverev cut a remarkably upbeat figure during his Australian Open press conference, despite crashing out of the competition to Carlos Alcaraz.
The German lost a five-set epic battle against Alcaraz, which tipped over the five hour mark on Rod Laver Arena.
Alcaraz sent Zverev a message following their clash ahead of his first-ever appearance in the Australian Open final.
Zverev, meanwhile, revealed how his crushing loss to Alcaraz would help him for the rest of the 2026 season.
Alexander Zverev is ‘proud’ of his performance against Carlos Alcaraz
Zverev’s time at the Australian Open might have come to an end, but he remains positive ahead of the new season.
Speaking at his press conference, “To be honest, I think I’m way too tired to have emotions right now, so like in two days’ time, I’ll probably have more, but right now I’m just exhausted.
Do you think Alexander Zverev has what it takes to win a Grand Slam?
“I think we both went to our absolute limits, so somewhat I’m also proud of myself the way I was hanging on and came back from two sets to love.
“Yeah, of course it’s disappointing, but this is the start of the year, so if I continue playing that way, if I continue training the way I train, if I continue working on the things that I’ve been working in the offseason, I do believe it’s going to be a good year for me.”
Zverev is widely-considered to be one of the best-ever players to never win a Grand Slam. The star has reached the final at three of the four Grand Slams, at Roland Garros, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
Alexander Zverev handed further blow after Carlos Alcaraz loss
Zverev might remain positive following his semi-final defeat, but he has started the season in a negative position when it comes to the rankings.
The German reached the final of the tournament in 2025, meaning he has already dropped 500 ranking points from last season.
Who has impressed you most so far at the Australian Open?
Zverev has dropped behind Novak Djokovic in the live rankings, as the Serbian has defended his semi-final appearance from last season.
The German will very likely return to World No. 3 throughout the season, particularly as he will no doubt play more events than Djokovic throughout the year.
