Well, that didn’t go as he thought it might.
Alexander Zverev’s attempt to overtake or even just get closer to the No. 1 spot in the rankings — while Jannik Sinner was serving a doping suspension — officially ended Tuesday with a loss to Francisco Cerundolo, of Argentina, at the Madrid Open. Cerundolo beat Zverev in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
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The loss ended a three-month journey in which Zverev fell far short of what he hoped.
When he left the Australian Open, after a run to the finals, Zverev was just under 2,700 rankings points behind Sinner. However, the Italian was sure to lose ground after accepting a 90-day suspension for twice testing positive for Clostebol, an illegal muscle-building substance. Anti-doping officials accepted his explanation that the substance found its way into his system inadvertently after his massage therapist used a first aid cream with Clostebol in it to treat a cut and then gave Sinner a massage.
With Sinner serving his suspension, Zverev went to South America for two tournaments on clay, providing him an opportunity to play on his best surface against lesser competition than he would face in Dubai and Doha on hard courts — as well as some healthy appearance fees. He did not get past the quarterfinals at either event.
He then lost his second match at the Mexican Open in Acapulco to Learner Tien, his first defeat against a left-handed player after more than two dozen wins. He lost his first match in Indian Wells, his third in Miami, his first in Monte Carlo and now his third in Madrid.
Zverev had 8,135 points when Sinner was suspended. He now has 8,185, a gain of 50. The lone high mark of the past three months occurred earlier in April in Munich, where he won the ATP 500 event as a hometown favorite.
Tuesday’s loss was similar to several others Zverev has experienced in the past three months. He simply could not control his groundstrokes, making error after error on balls he usually handles with ease on clay. By the middle of the second, with frustration mounting, Zverev slammed his racket to the ground, eliciting howls from the Madrid crowd.
Sinner, who will play his first tournament back from suspension in Rome, has 9,730 points. But Zverev won’t be able to get closer to him since he is the Italian Open’s reigning champion and has to defend 1,000 points. Sinner didn’t play Rome last year, so he will be adding to his point total with each win.
“Super-happy to get a win,” Cerundolo said on the court after the victory. “It’s the tournament I feel most at home beside Buenos Aires.”
(Photo: Julian Finney / Getty Images)
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