Alexander Zverev’s unpredictable 2026 campaign has taken yet another surprise twist, with the world number three exiting the Italian Open early in shocking fashion.
Facing Luciano Darderi, it was expected that the 29-year-old would not struggle to secure his spot in the quarter-finals.
And, when he took a comfortable one-set lead by a 6-1 margin, the victory seemed secure.
That was until Alexander Zverev engineered an inexplicable collapse, blowing four match points as he surrendered the second set before losing the third set 6-0.
It was a gutless performance from such an elite performer, and it has drawn huge scrutiny from some onlookers.
Alexander Zverev criticised for his latest Italian Open loss
Adriano Panatta, a former French Open champion, was one such detractor.
In fact, he went as far as to suggest that he will be actively avoiding Zverev’s matches from now on, describing his play style as ‘boring’ and predictable.
Would Alexander Zverev benefit from saying less to the media?
He had a lot to say after exiting the Italian Open…
The Italian argued, speaking on La Telefonata: “I watched the highlights of the match. Honestly, I’ve reached a point where, on principle, I don’t even watch Zverev anymore, because I get bored.
“I already know what he’s going to do.”
Panatta then cited an additional fear he has for Zverev, adding: “Anyone can win the first set and then let the second slip away, even with multiple match points. That happens. But what’s more worrying is that he simply didn’t play the third set. He sometimes reacts like a child.”
This was not the only criticism he received after his defeat, with another former Grand Slam champion branding Zverev a ‘baby’.
Alexander Zverev’s Grand Slam prediction looks worrying ahead of Roland Garros
Roland Garros likely represents Zverev’s best chance at finally winning that coveted and elusive maiden Grand Slam title.
However, rather worryingly, his preparation for this year’s iteration of the event has been far from ideal. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner looks unstoppable.
Do you really believe that Alexander Zverev can win a Grand Slam title?
The German started his clay-court campaign with a shock defeat to Flavio Cobolli in Munich, before reaching the final in Madrid. This would have represented a fine run, had he not been comfortably dismantled by the world number one in the final, thus highlighting the gulf in quality between them.
Then, in Rome, it was another Italian who thwarted him, with Darderi stunning the three-time major finalist in just the Round of 16.
Given the fact that earlier this year Zverev said he believed he would win a Grand Slam title, that premonition now seems rather unlikely. After all, as noted earlier, Roland Garros should represent his best chance of major success.
