Zverev cites fatigue after Davidovich Fokina ends Shanghai run

Alexander Zverev said fatigue had affected his Shanghai Masters campaign after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated him 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday's semi-final. BBC Sport reported that the Spaniard recorded only his second victory in eight meetings with the German, recovering from a set down to reach Sunday's final against Rafael Jodar.

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Davidovich Fokina changed the direction of the match late in the second set. According to BBC Sport, a running backhand passing shot secured his first break and forced a decider. He then broke Zverev to establish a 2-0 lead in the third set, and the top seed was unable to regain control of the contest.

In comments published by the tournament's official website, Zverev said his workload made a semi-final appearance a better outcome than his physical condition might have suggested. He reported arriving with fatigue and a minor injury, without specifying the injury in those remarks. He also credited Davidovich Fokina's performance rather than attributing the result solely to his own difficulties.

Zverev said he had taken just one day off since the US Open, with appearances at the Laver Cup, Beijing and Shanghai following in succession. The official report said he had felt his energy decline after a fourth-round match against Alexander Bublik that required a deciding-set tie-break. A 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final win over Alex de Minaur had nonetheless carried him into the last four.

His account of the semi-final focused particularly on returning serve. Zverev said he could anticipate serves directed wide to his forehand but was still struggling to put the return in court. He described slower reactions even during the opening set he won, while acknowledging that his opponent had executed an effective match plan.

The defeat does not change Zverev's assured year-end number-one finish. BBC Sport noted that his season included his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and a second at the US Open. For Davidovich Fokina, the win secured a first Masters 1000 final appearance since 2022; for Zverev, the official tournament report lists Vienna as his next scheduled event.