Alexander Zverev says 2025 has been "a nightmare" season for him injury-wise since he has battled multiple injuries, which directly impacted his results and made it harder for him to improve.
On Wednesday, the German tennis star fell to a 1-1 record in the ATP Finals group stage after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner handed him a 6-4 6-3 defeat in Turin. For the world No. 3, it was his third consecutive defeat to Sinner in as many weeks - the Italian also ousted the German in Vienna and Paris.
After Zverev's yet another defeat to Sinner, a reporter brought up Ivan Ljubicic's take, where Roger Federer's former coach suggested that if Sinner is regularly improving, others should ask themselves what they were lacking. And the three-time Grand Slam finalist didn't appear to be too impressed with that question.
Zverev: This year was a nightmare for me... It's easy for you guys to ask these questions
"Number one is to stay healthy and injury-free. This year was a nightmare for me injury-wise. All the time I had something. It was difficult for me to improve when I always had to try to get healthy. This is number one thing. Look, of course 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," the 28-year-old said.
This year, Zverev battled shoulder, back and ankle injuries. Most recently, the German's ankle flared up at the Paris Masters, but he was able to recover in time for the ATP Finals.
On Friday, Zverev will meet Felix Auger-Aliassime in a direct battle for a semifinal spot at the ATP Finals.
