"I was losing to people who weren’t Roger Federer" - Andy Roddick assesses Alexander Zverev's slump in form with personal anecdote

Andy Roddick, in conversation with Kim Clijsters, discussed the possible reasons for Alexander Zverev’s form slump. A major issue pointed out by the American was similar to his own career, where he focused too much on defeating Roger Federer but consequently lost to other opponents.

Zverev started the season by reaching the finals of the Australian Open but has failed to replicate his success in other tournaments. His win-loss record after the Australian Open is 4-4. He has faced early-round exits at multiple ATP events, most recently at Indian Wells, where Tallon Griekspoor eliminated him in the second round in three sets: 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(4).

While discussing potential reasons for Zverev's form slump on his podcast, Roddick drew a comparison to his own career.

“I was in a mode for a while, where 100% of my focus was adjusting my game to try to beat Roger, and then all of a sudden I found myself, the first part of 2006 where I was losing to a bunch of people who weren’t Roger. Right, because my focus was there, I sense a lot of that with him where I think he’s taking potshots on his forehand side now, where it’s like oh that’s not what you want to do. I feel like that’s for the chorus,” he stated. [55:30]

Federer single-handedly dominated the head-to-head record against Andy Roddick, 21-3. In an effort to overcome Federer, Roddick structured his game around him, but this resulted in more losses to other players.

Many experts criticize Zverev's forehand, citing it as a weakness that hinders his Grand Slam aspirations, particularly in later stages. The former World No. 1 suspects that the German is fixating on defeating a top rival, leading him to play low-percentage, risky forehand shots influenced by external opinions.

Zverev will compete at the Miami Open next, where he is the top seed. His second-round match is scheduled for March 21, where he will face the winner of the match between Benjamin Bonzi and his opponent, who is yet to be decided.

---

Alexander Zverev’s reflection on his World No. 1 bid and current form

Alexander Zverev speaking at a press conference - Source: Getty

Alexander Zverev has the opportunity to become World No. 1 in the absence of Jannik Sinner. Sinner is serving a three-month ban for his doping settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which concludes on May 4.

During this time period, Zverev can bridge the gap with Sinner as he is trailing by 3385 points. When asked about his bid for the World No. 1 spot after his loss to Griekspoor at the Indian Wells, he said:

“It was in the beginning. Now it's less, because I'm just playing terribly. So for me, I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become World No. 1, you have to win tournaments. I'm not getting past the first, or second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first.”

“At the end of the day I'm just not playing good tennis at the moment, It's as simple as that. I'm not playing a level that I want to play, definitely not playing anywhere near what I played in Australia. I'm just disappointed with my game. That's the No. 1 thing for me,” further he added.

Currently, his primary goal is to regain the rhythm he displayed at the Australian Open. The World No. 2 is aiming for a turnaround at the Miami Open in his pursuit of glory.