Alexander Zverev delivers fitness update after a draining Shanghai Masters run, saying he will take several days off before deciding whether to play Vienna. The German lost Saturday’s semi-final to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, after winning the opening set.

Zverev said he felt flat late in the tournament and had played a lot of tennis since the US Open. He told reporters he had only one day off after the US Open and had completed 12 matches in the 34 days since winning that final.

Zverev Delivers Fitness Update After Shanghai Defeat

The semi-final started with Zverev ahead, but the match turned after he received a time violation from the umpire and disagreed with the call. Davidovich Fokina gained confidence and secured the biggest win of his professional career, the source reported.

The Shanghai run included a second-round win over Wu Yibing, a third-round victory over Quentin Halys and a fourth-round match against Bublik. Zverev then beat de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-final before Saturday’s semi-final loss. The source lists those matches between October 9 and October 17, with Zverev’s quarter-final on October 15 and semi-final on October 17.

Before the semi-final, he had beaten Bublik 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. He defeated de Minaur in straight sets two days later, after also beating Wu 6-4, 7-6 and Halys 6-4, 6-7, 6-3. Those results set up his run to the final four, but he could not complete the comeback after dropping the first set to Davidovich Fokina.

Zverev described the fatigue as a human limit rather than a surprise. “I’m not a robot; I’m a human being. I get tired,” he said, adding that playing often had also been positive because it meant he had played well.

He said he was already losing energy after his fourth-round match against Alexander Bublik. Zverev called his quarter-final against Alex de Minaur phenomenal, but said he felt flatter in the semi-final, reacted less well and returned badly, including in the first set he won.

Several Days Off Before a Vienna Decision

Zverev said he planned to go home and skip practice. With Vienna beginning October 26, he said he had 10 days if he played, but wanted to see how his body reacted and considered a break necessary. He said he would take a couple of days off for sure.

He also addressed the ankle trouble he had experienced earlier in Shanghai. Zverev said it felt worse in the early rounds than it did in the semi-final, and that it was “actually fine” that day. He acknowledged moving more slowly and perhaps running less, while saying he had played a lot of tennis and had been injury-free this year.

The source does not report a final decision on Vienna. Zverev’s stated plan is to rest first and assess his body before deciding whether to compete. His comments leave the next step conditional, rather than confirming a withdrawal.

Earlier coverage of Viv Taylor’s strength record also follows an athlete’s performance. Sports apparel has its own performance angle in Nike’s breathable fabric story, while FIFA’s tracking technology covers tools used to assess athletes. Read the full Zverev fitness update for his comments and tournament details.