Alexander Zverev suffers massive blow in pursuit of number one spot after Miami Open fourth-round exit

Germany’s Alexander Zverev has suffered a major blow after another disappointing outing. The 27-year-old is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category.

Zverev is currently ranked number two in the ATP rankings. Once it was announced that the reigning world number one Jannik Sinner will miss three months of action after agreeing a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following two doping tests in March last year, the German tennis star had the best opportunity to overtake him before his returns to the court next year.

However, it seems that Zverev has missed that chance after a series of unimpressive performances. The Hamburg-born star’s most recent outing was at the Miami Open, where he was knocked out after losing in the fourth round to France’s Arthur Fils with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. After that defeat, the reigning world number three will have to win all his remaining three events to dethrone Sinner from the top of the ATP rankings before he returns to the court in May for the Rome Masters.

Zverev started the year brilliantly. He finished the Australian Open as the runner-up after losing to Sinner in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. However, after that, he failed to keep the momentum going. His next outing was at the Argentina Open, where he lost in the quarterfinal to Francisco Cerundolo with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. At the Rio Open, he once again faltered at the quarterfinals stage to Francisco Comesana with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. At the Mexican Open, the three-time Grand Slam runner-up lost in the round of 16 to America’s Learner Tien in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4. His last outing before coming to Miami was at the Indian Wells, where the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor defeated him in the round of 64 with a score of 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.