"I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now—it’s quite simple" - Alexander Zverev ranks Sinner above Alcaraz on ATP Tour

Alexander Zverev admitted he played out an 'awful' match of tennis enroute to being thrashed 6-1, 6-2 by world number one Jannik Sinner in less than an hour at the Madrid Open. After the match, he was adamant that no one was in touching distance of the 24-year-old.

The two-time champion had previously liked it in the Spanish capital, and a fourth appearance in the final was a fair reflection. He would look to get a first win against Sinner in eight matches. The streak would, however, be extended to nine on the spin for the four-time Grand Slam champion. Zverev could just win three games overall and was obliterated after a bad day at the office.

In his press conference, he was pictured as dejected and sombre after another painful defeat. "I mean, he’s very good, of course," he began. "But I think today I would have lost to anybody, to be very fair. I think today I played an awful tennis match."

Sinner is by far and away the best player in the world. Having not lost a tennis match in 73 days, he has won four Masters 1000 titles in that timeframe while defeating everyone who comes his way. This includes Zverev on four separate occasion. "Well, to be honest, I think everybody is struggling against him," he acknowledged. "He’s won the last five Masters events, so it’s not like I’m the only one losing to him."

He again emphasised on the lack of strategy in this tie from his behalf and the woeful display he pout on at Caja Magica. "I’m just losing to him more because I get to him every single time and then lose to him. Today, it doesn’t make sense to talk much about strategy—it was an absolutely terrible match by me. I don’t think there was much strategy involved."

Sinner bolstered his margin as world number one in an astronomical period of form. Zverev does not describe this as improvement, more of him keeping up his high standards. "I don’t think it’s a surprise he’s world number one. I wouldn’t call it improvement—it’s stability. He doesn’t have dips or phases where his level drops. That’s why he’s number one, and to me that’s even more impressive—keeping that level all the time."

It is another day that proves the seismic gap between him and the rest of the field, barring Carlos Alcaraz who also lost to him in Monte-Carlo. The 29-year-old was a firm believer that Sinner was levels clear of the competition. "I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now—it’s quite simple."

He placed himself alongside Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic before indicating another gap in talent. "Then there’s another gap between Alcaraz, myself, maybe Novak Djokovic, and the rest. So I think there are two gaps at the moment. But it’s difficult to say there isn’t a gap between Sinner and everyone else when he hasn’t lost a match in almost nine months—since Shanghai. You have to admit there’s a gap."

For now, it is all about recovery from a tiresome and energy-zapping week. "Right now I’m exhausted, to be honest. Two-week events are difficult mentally—you have to stay focused for longer. Here, I like playing night matches, but I feel a bit jet-lagged because last week I didn’t go to bed before 4 a.m. even once. It’s difficult."

The German mainly took up the night slots throughout the week while Sinner played in the day. Zverev stated that he was at a slight disadvantage due to this. "I understand night matches are more popular, but then the final should also be at night, because it’s more fair for both players," he argued. "When it’s a day match after playing nights all week, it’s very difficult. Especially against Jannik Sinner—it’s always difficult no matter where or how you play—but with that backstory, it was just impossible today."

He continued to vent his frustration on this subject, sharing his daily routine while in Madrid. "To be honest, I’m really tired. I understand night matches—they’re popular for tournaments—but then you should play the final at the same time, not during the day. I went to bed at 4 a.m. every day and woke up around 12 or 12:30, because otherwise I’d only sleep five hours. Today I had to wake up at 10 to warm up at 12:30. Everything is shifted. Today I felt like I was seeing four balls coming at me—and very fast from his side."

Overall, this final defeat to Sinner ends what has been a positive tournament. A first final in 2026 and a decent haul of points with his spot as world number three not in any trouble. However, that niggling problem still remains of how to defeat Sinner.

"I just have to look at it and think about how I can win against him. I can beat everyone else—I’ve shown that over the last few weeks. It’s more about finding a solution for what I have to do against him," he concluded.