Alexander Zverev fell just short of reaching the Munich Open final.
Zverev, the world number four, was defeated 3-6, 3-6 by an in-form Flavio Cobolli on Saturday.
Cobolli, who is looking to win his second title of 2026, will play second-seeded Ben Shelton in the Munich Open final.
Do you really believe that Alexander Zverev can win a Grand Slam title?
As for Zverev, the German continued an unfortunate trend of losing in semi-finals: the 28-year-old has now lost nine of his last 10 ATP Tour semi-finals.
The German, who is yet to win a Grand Slam title, has yet again drawn criticism from onlookers following his performance in Munich.
Alexander Zverev deserves credit for his resilience
Alexander Zverev is one of the most heavily criticised players on the ATP Tour.
Of course, criticism comes with the territory in this scenario: Zverev is the world number three – a player who will always be held to exceptionally high standards.
However, whenever the German loses on the ATP Tour, some of the criticism that comes his way appears to be – on the face of it – vitriolic.
For a player who has won seven Masters 1000 titles and two ATP Finals titles, one would hope that Zverev’s game receives a greater amount of praise than criticism.
This has very rarely been the case.
Zverev’s flaws are regularly highlighted by onlookers – with his strengths seemingly unworthy of being mentioned.
And yet, despite all the criticism, Zverev continues to prove that he is one of the best players of this generation, and one of the only players who has the ability to challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
Zverev is one of the most resilient players on the Tour – continuing to produce high-level performances in spite of the criticism he regularly receives.
For this, he should be applauded.
What is next for Alexander Zverev?
After losing in Munich, Zverev is set to travel west for the Madrid Open.
The German is set to be the second seed at the event following the withdrawals of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Zverev is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won the event in 2018 and 2021.
Alexander Zverev’s record in Madrid
- 2017 – Quarter-finals
- 2018 – Champion
- 2019 – Quarter-finals
- 2021 – Champion
- 2022 – Runner-up
- 2023 – Fourth round
- 2024 – Fourth round
- 2025 – Fourth round
Zverev defeated Dominic Thiem in the 2018 final and Matteo Berrettini in the 2021 championships showpiece.
Zverev defeated Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem on his way to the 2021 title.
“I think it was a good week for me,” Zverev told reporters after winning the 2021 title.
“I mean, obviously, as I said today on court, Matteo today was extremely difficult for me in a way that I didn’t play anybody who serves 235, dominates the ball like he does.
“Against Rafa and Dominic, the matches were different. I mean, both obviously great players on clay, maybe the two best players right now.
“Yeah, against Matteo was extremely difficult just getting the ball back in play, getting the ball deep enough to have the chance to win the point.
“Yeah, coming back from a set down to win the title here, I’m extremely happy with that.”
