ATP Rankings: Alexander Zverev in danger of big slump as Acapulco nightmare continues
Alexander Zverev has not been lower than fourth in the ATP Rankings for nearly two years, but he is now in danger of slipping close to a top-10 exit after his struggles at the Mexican Open continued.
The German has once failed to make it past the second round of the ATP 500 event as Miomir Kecmanovic claimed a 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4) win to secure the first top-five win of his career.
“It feels amazing, especially because it’s been a rough couple of years,” world No 84 Kecmanovic said. “So I’m happy that some things are going my way finally.”
The Serbian added: “I guess I was more aggressive when it mattered. I served a lot better than my usual standards, so I’m happy that things went well today,” Kecmanovic said.
“Obviously he’s the big favourite, so I didn’t have any pressure there, but you still have to play well when it matters, close out the match and thankfully it went my way.”
Zverev was crowned Mexican Open champion in 2021 as he beat Taylor Fritz in the final, but he has endured a nightmare run since then as in 2022 he was disqualified ahead of his second-round match following an unsavoury incident in the doubles.
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He teamed up with Marcelo Melo and they reached the second round with a win over Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara, but the pair were kicked out of the tournament after the match as Zverev verbally abused the chair umpire, as he used obscene language and also repeatedly hit the official’s chair with his racket.
The three-time Grand Slam runner-up missed the 2023 edition, but returned the next year where he lost in the first round before suffering second-round exits in 2025 and 2026.
ATP Rankings Battle
Zverev has been an ever-present member of the top five of the ATP Rankings since March 2024, but he will be under pressure from at least five players at the upcoming Indian Wells Open.
The 28-year-old sits a distant fourth behind Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, but only 705 points separate him from Felix Auger-Aliassime in ninth place.
The German is on 4,555 points and he is followed by Lorenzo Musetti on 4,405, Alex de Minaur 4,235, Taylor Fritz 4,220, Ben Shelton 4,010 and Auger-Aliassime 3,850.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime remains in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships and he could move up to sixth with a title run.
