World no. 7 Alexander Zverev reached his second consecutive Australian Open quarter-final following a solid display at Melbourn Park in the opening week, hoping to go a step further than in 2020.
To achieve that, Zverev had to pass the toughest obstacle at the season's first Major, with Novak Djokovic standing between the German and the semi-final spot. Alexander won the opening set before Novak prevailed 6-7-, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 in three and a half hours. The younger player opened a lead in three out of four sets and wasted a set point at 6-5 in the fourth that could have sent them into a decider.
Zverev seized three out of 12 break chances and got broken six times to propel Novak over the finish line, taking positive notes from the season's first Major but seeking more significant results in the upcoming events.
"I thought I showed very good tennis, but somewhere it was also a disappointing trip for me. In my career now, I am where I no longer want to play good tournaments and matches, but I want to win. Unfortunately, I didn't do that here. The Australian summer showed that I can compete and beat the rivals from the top. I take a lot of positive things with me. But all in all, it was disappointing that I was out in the quarter-finals, even though it was against the world's best player," Alexander Zverev said.