Alexander Zverev set to drop out of top 20 for the first time in 6 years after Madrid Open exit

Alexander Zverev is set to lose his spot in the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time in six years after his exit from the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Open.

Ranked World No. 16 going into the Madrid Open, Zverev was defending 600 ranking points from his run to the final of the Masters event in 2022. In his tournament opener, the German secured a comeback victory over Roberto Carballes Baena. He then dominated his clash with Hugo Grenier, winning 6-1, 6-0.

In the fourth round, Alexander Zverev took on Carlos Alcaraz in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2022 Madrid Open final. However, in similar scenes to the previous year, Alcaraz dismantled the former World No. 2 6-1, 6-2 to continue his title defense in Madrid.

The 26-year-old's fourth-round defeat at the Masters event will result in him losing 510 ranking points in the next update of the ATP rankings on Monday, May 8. He is expected to drop down to World No. 22, marking the first time in six years that he will be out of the top 20.

Alexander Zverev made his first appearance in the top 20 of the ATP rankings back in February 2017. Although he briefly dropped to World No. 21 in April of the same year, he quickly rebounded the following week and has remained a fixture in the top 20 ever since.

Despite the setback, the German has a strong chance of making it back into the ATP top 20 in the near future as he is only defending 1,080 points from the remainder of the 2022 season.

The 26-year-old earned 360 ranking points after reaching the semifinals of the Rome Masters and an additional 720 points for his semifinal finish at the French Open. Unfortunately, he suffered a terrible ankle injury during his match against Rafael Nadal in the French Open semifinals, which led to him missing the rest of the 2022 season.

“I will say this is my best level" - Carlos Alcaraz on Alexander Zverev clash at Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev at the Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz was thrilled to have displayed his "best level" against Alexander Zverev during their Madrid Open clash. He expressed his desire to showcase a similar level of play in his quarterfinal encounter against Karen Khachanov on Wednesday, May 3.

“I will try to play this level. I will say this is my best level. I have to show that in the quarter-final, but obviously playing this match gives me a lot of confidence… Let’s see what happens," Alcaraz said in his post-match interview.

With the win, Alcaraz has inched closer to leveling his head-to-head record against Alexander Zverev. It currently stands at 3-2 in favor of the German.