Alexander Zverev was thoroughly underwhelmed with his performance earlier today, having been forced into a deciding third set to beat Joao Fonseca.
It was an impressive display from the young Brazilian, whose run to the quarter-finals here at the Monte Carlo Masters represents his best-ever at a Masters 1000 event.
And, for Alexander Zverev, despite also matching a career-best run here in Monaco by now reaching the semi-finals, he cut a slightly downbeat figure after the match.
Speaking live on Sky Sports, he explained why, despite the clash looking like a three-set thriller on paper, it was anything but.
Alexander Zverev reacts after beating Joao Fonseca in marathon match
Asked to rate the level between him and Joao Fonseca during the match, he began by admitting: “I’m not sure.”
The German then expanded on his uncertainty, adding: “I don’t think it was still a great match to be honest, from both of us. But, you know, as I said, this is the first week on clay for all of us; it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be the prettiest tennis.
Do you really believe that Alexander Zverev can win a Grand Slam title?
“You know, how I won, I’m in the semi-finals, I’m super happy about that. I feel like the best set of tennis was a third set for me, so that shows improvement. And again, that’s the most important thing this week to show improvement, to find also my aggressive game a bit more because I’m struggling a little bit more on clay than I was on hard courts with that, but overall, I’m in the semis, and I’m happy about it.”
Then asked to discuss the struggle finding the balance when moving from hard to clay, Zverev claimed: “It’s about rhythm a little bit. I feel like I’m still mistiming quite a few balls, but again, I’m in the semi-finals. I’m very happy about that. I’d much rather mistime a few and be in the semis than be perfect and lose first round, you know? So, again, it’s about improving.
| Year | Round reached | Defeated by |
| 2026 | Semi-finals* | N/A |
| 2025 | Second Round | Matteo Berrettini |
| 2024 | Third Round | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| 2023 | Third Round | Daniil Medvedev |
| 2022 | Semi-finals | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
“I feel like it’s going to be hopefully a good clay-court season for me, but yeah, there still needs to be improvements made.”
Fonseca has been praised for his run in Monte Carlo, with his forehand now being compared to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s.
Joao Fonseca lacked the experience and physicality to beat Alexander Zverev
Although it’s a shame to see his run cut short, making it as far as he did marks an outstanding performance from Fonseca here in Monaco.
Having endured a rocky start to 2026, his first tournament on clay must be considered an overwhelming success.
Is Joao Fonseca the greatest threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo?
He’s qualified for his first career Masters 1000 QF!
Sadly, he simply lacked the experience needed to see out this result against Zverev, where he competed fiercely against one of the sport’s best on this surface.
Another factor that likely led to his defeat was the gruelling nature of this match and the event in general. It’s all very new for the 19-year-old, and he likely suffered from a lack of practice battling at this level for so long.
However, these are all learning curves, and today will be disappointing now, but hugely informative going forward for Fonseca.