"I have to be honest with myself" - Alexander Zverev makes brutal admission about 'unsatisfying' 2025 season after 'worst' loss at ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev's 2025 ATP Finals campaign ended with a 6-4, 7-6(4) group-stage defeat against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday, November 14. The German expressed dissatisfaction with his overall season, as he managed only one title at the 500-level tournament in Munich.

In his first match in Turin, Zverev registered a straight-set victory over Ben Shelton in the Bjorn Borg Group. He then lost 6-4, 6-3 to home favorite Jannik Sinner before going down to Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian had also overcome Zverev in the third round of this year's US Open.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, the World No. 3 praised Auger-Aliassime, while admitting that he himself played extremely poorly.

"I think Felix evolved as a tennis player since the last couple of months. I think he played better here than in New York. But I also have to be honest with myself. This was the worst match that I played in the last month, taking out the Sinner match in Paris because I wasn't fit. Yeah, from my end, this was not a good tennis match," Alexander Zverev said.

The two-time ATP Finals winner started the year by reaching the Australian Open final, where Sinner beat him. He also finished second in the title clashes in Stuttgart and Vienna.

"For me, an incredibly unsatisfying season. The tennis season is long, you have a lot of ups and downs. For me, there were not many ups. I think for me, the Australian Open final, Munich as you mentioned. Everything else, I'm very unsatisfied," he added.

Zverev confirmed that he will represent Germany at the Davis Cup later this month.

Alexander Zverev sounds off on Davis Cup format

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are the only top-10 players who will travel to Italy's Bologna for the 2025 Davis Cup next week. However, Zverev has clarified that he is playing only for the sake of his teammates. The World No. 3 called for the tournament to be played in the home-and-away format, which would create an electrifying atmosphere.

"The true Davis Cup is the home-and-away ties. For me, if you’re in the final of Davis Cup, I’m more than happy to play one more week after the ATP Finals. But to play quarterfinals, semifinals, I’m not too happy about because it can be a waste of time," Zverev said in the same press conference on Friday.

“To play against Italy in Italy, it would be a completely different atmosphere than playing Italy in Spain. I played against [Rafael] Nadal in a bullfighting arena in 2018. That’s for me the real Davis Cup. I don’t think this Davis Cup is the real Davis Cup. It’s an exhibition tournament in a way that is called Davis Cup," he added.

Alexander Zverev's Germany will take on Argentina in the quarterfinals on November 20.

Edited by Parag Jain