"Extremely disappointing, nothing much I can say" - Alexander Zverev says he didn't feel '100% physically' in Daniil Medvedev loss at Australian Open

Alexander Zverev lost his semifinal clash against Daniil Medvedev from two sets up on Friday (January 26), succumbing to a 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat in four hours and 18 minutes at the 2024 Australian Open.

Speaking to the media following his loss, Zverev was asked to give his thoughts on the fact that he was two points away from reaching his second-career Major final during the fourth set. In response, the German asserted that while he took pride in his form in Melbourne, losing the match that mattered left him "extremely disappointed."

"I mean, just basically the whole Australian trip I was playing quite well. Been playing well actually for a few months now, so it's obviously extremely disappointing. Yeah, nothing much I can say," Alexander Zverev said during his post-match press conference.

Alexander Zverev was then reminded by a journalist about how he lost from two-sets-to-love up in the 2020 US Open final — the only other time he lost a Major match in such fashion. Asked whether the above defeat made the result of his semifinal outing in Melbourne even more difficult to digest, the sixth seed went off on an entirely separate tangent.

The 26-year-old asserted that he wasn't at the peak of his physical conditioning against Daniil Medvedev, as he had picked up a fever during his quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday.

"Yeah, frustrating. But for me it's more frustrating that I didn't feel 100% physically. That was more frustrating to me. It kind of took the chance away. You know, kind of I lost it because of a physical state, not because of tennis. That is, for me, disappointing..." Zverev said.

"End of the second set I started to lose energy. I started to not feel, you know, so fresh anymore. I mean, I am a bit sick. I got a bit sick after the Alcaraz match with a bit of fever and stuff like that, so that obviously didn't help the recovery, and I did play quite a lot," he added.

Alexander Zverev looking to break into ATP Top-5 rankings again, will play at the Los Cabos Open next

Alexander Zverev retrieves a ball at the 2024 Australian Open

Alexander Zverev enjoyed a good showing in Melbourne this week, earning 800 ranking points. The German will stand at 5,030 points in next week's rankings, which is just 20 points short of World No. 5 Andrey Rublev.

Zverev was a Top-5 mainstay for several years before injuring his ankle during his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022. He called curtains on his season soon after, causing his ranking to fall outside the top 10 rankings.

Alexander Zverev, however, made plenty of amends for his injury layoff last year, reaching the semifinals in Paris and winning two titles to reach the top 10 again. The 26-year-old can return to the top five if he does well at the Los Cabos Open, which begins on February 19.

The German is the first seed at the ATP 250 tournament. He will be joined by the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur at the event.