Alexander Zverev suffered a dramatic exit from the Italian Open, falling to Luciano Darderi in the round of 16. The world No. 3 lost 1-6, 7-6(10), 6-0 after squandering four match points in the second-set tiebreak.
Zverev, a two-time champion in Rome, blamed the poor court quality for his defeat. “To be honest, the court, I think this is the worst court I’ve ever played on,” he said in his post-match press conference. He noted that the ball jumped unpredictably on match point and rolled on break point, making consistent play nearly impossible amid windy conditions.
