Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands plays a forehand volley against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their second round match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 07, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. AFP
Zverev was the top seed in the prestigious ATP Masters event in the California desert as world number one Sinner serves a belated three-month drugs ban.
Zverev, runner-up to Sinner at the Australian Open, said the Italian's enforced absence had at first had him harboring ideas of climbing to the top. But they are fading with his game.
"Now it's less, because I'm just playing terrible," said Zverev, who made early exits at Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco before his disastrous Indian Wells showing.
He's the first Indian Wells men's top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017.
"I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become world number one you have to win tournaments," Zverev said.
"I'm not past getting first, second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first."
Zverev said he had no specific explanation for his drop in form since the Australian Open.
In a pre-tournament press conference he had pointed to illness in two of the three weeks of his "rough South American swing".
But after falling 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) to 43rd-ranked Griekspoor -- who had lost six of their prior seven encounters -- he said he simply wasn't playing well enough.
"I'm not playing a level that I want to play, definitely not playing anywhere near what I played in Australia," he said.
After winning the first set against Griekspoor Zverev had rallied from 2-5 down in the second to lead 6-5, but he was broken as he served for the match.
He fought off five match points in the 12th game of the third set, converting his fifth break point of the game to force the final tiebreaker in which he could hold off Griekspoor no longer.
"He played a good match," Zverev said. "There's no question about that. But I have to look at myself a little bit."
He said his first serve needs work along with his play from the back of the court.
"It's everything," he said. "I keep working, but right now it's not clicking."
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