"Don't always judge by the score" - Alexander Zverev rejects 'unplayable' label for Jannik Sinner as he gets real about ATP Finals loss

Alexander Zverev dismissed judgments based on the scoreline of his match against Jannik Sinner, which ended his chances of booking a spot in the ATP Finals semifinals. The German was playing his second group stage match and was trounced by the World No. 1 in straight sets.

Alexander Zverev was placed in the Björn Borg Group at the ATP Finals, alongside Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton, and Félix Auger-Aliassime. Zverev defeated his younger counterpart, Shelton, in straight sets in his first group-stage match before facing the Italian in the second. Coming in with a 5–4 head-to-head in favor of Sinner, Zverev faced a player who was both the defending champion and a heavy favorite in Turin.

He lost the bout in straight sets, thus ending his chances of securing a semifinal spot, as the Italian advanced to the final four. In a post-match press conference, the World No. 3 rejected the 'unplayable' label for Sinner, reasoning that the latter utilized his chances better than him.

"It's not unplayable. I had many opportunities. He had one, he used the chance. This is why he's No. 1 in the world, you know? He uses the chances that he gets."

Zverev further requested the press to not judge his gameplay by the scoreline as it didn't show how close the match was.

"I think it's quite easy for you guys to ask these questions because the score says 6-4, 6-3. If you look deeper into the match, I really believe that it could have been more than 6-4, 6-3, so..Don't always judge it by the score."

Zverev will next play his final opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime, from the Bjorn Borg Group, scheduled on November 15, 2025.

Alexander Zverev wished to avoid Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Finals

Zverev at the Rolex Paris Masters 2025 - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Alexander Zverev has never shied away from voicing his opinions in public and has often faced backlash for doing so. He even criticized tournament directors for standardizing court surfaces to give an edge to the top two players. At the ATP Finals, although he admitted that Sinner had an advantage on the surface, he said he didn’t want to face either the World No. 1 or No. 2 in the year-end Championships, so that he could have a stronger chance of going into the semifinals.

"I was actually hoping both of them would be in the same group so that we could play in different ones, but it is what it is."

Alexander Zverev won the singles gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and reached three Grand Slam finals in his career.

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder