'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev squandered a comfortable lead to bow out of the Shanghai Masters 2025 on Monday, October 6. He captured the opening set of his third-round contest against Arthur Rinderknech, only to get outplayed from that point on to lose the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Players have constantly voiced their frustrations regarding the conditions at the tournament. While the weather can't be controlled, the slowing down of the courts has also contributed to the players' woes. Zverev also expressed his opinion about the same, though he ruffled a few feathers with his thoughts.
Zverev opined that the courts are being slowed down to favor Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The Spaniard isn't even competing in Shanghai, while the Italian retired from his third-round match after severe cramping on Sunday. Fans weren't pleased with his line of thinking in the slightest.
Trending
So when Zverev lost to Rinderknech on Monday, they had a field day at the German's expense. Fans on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit were quick to savor his defeat in light of his allegations against Alcaraz and Sinner.
"Damn ATP making the courts slower for Alacaraz, Sinner and... Rinderknech?," wrote one fan.
"Zverev a legendary fraud. maybe the biggest of all time," chimed in another fan.
"They made the courts slower so people like Rinderknech could keep on winning," wrote another fan.
"Not all heroes wear crepes, but Arthur does!" joked a fan.
"I kinda love it when he complains about the hardships of not being favored enough and then loses the match right away," said another fan.
"Zverev being ranked in top 3 just tells you about the state of ATP. This guy would actually shit the bed on big points against the 4.0 guy from this sub," criticized one fan.
"Rinderknech is undefeated in his career against players ranked #3 in the world (It's only Zverev, this year, twice)" wrote another fan.
Zverev made the semifinals of the preceding two Masters 1000 tournaments, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. After his early exit from the Shanghai Masters, he will be keen to get his affairs in order ahead of his title defense at the Paris Masters.
Alexander Zverev will compete in Vienna before his title defense at the Paris Masters 2025
Alexander Zverev will enjoy a week off following his third-round exit from the Shanghai Masters 2025. He will then head to Vienna, Austria, for the Erste Bank Open, which will run from October 20-26. He won the title there in 2021, and will hope to rekindle some of that old magic in order to enter the Paris Masters with confidence, where he's the defending champion.
Zverev captured his seventh and most recent Masters 1000 title in the French capital a year ago. He has a 17-6 record at the tournament, and aside from his triumph last year, he also finished as the runner-up in 2020. This year's Paris Masters will take place from October 27 to November 2.
Following the conclusion of the Paris Masters, Zverev will compete in the ATP Finals. He was a semifinalist at the year-end championships last year, and won the title in 2018 and 2021. However, unless he raises his level over the next few weeks, a third title seems like a distant dream.
