John McEnroe doesn't hold back on Alexander Zverev after Jannik Sinner wins Australian Open
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John McEnroe has launched a stinging attack on Alexander Zverev after the German lost to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday.
Zverev had gone into the clash hoping to claim the first major of his career at the third time of asking, having suffered final heartache in the past.
But it wasn't to be for the 27-year-old, with Sinner dominating as he won 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Though Zverev performed well in the second set, forcing a tie-break, he ultimately came up short as his hopes of Grand Slam glory went up in smoke.
John McEnroe has launched a stinging attack on Alexander Zverev after the German lost to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday
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And McEnroe was critical of Zverev's performance at the Rod Laver Arena, insisting he was 'flat as a pancake'.
"[Sinner] did get into Zverev’s head, I’m not denying that," the tennis legend told Eurosport.
"I thought he’d try and get into a war of attrition, try and test Sinner who cramped two days ago and got sick four days ago.
"He wasn’t able to do that, but you have to give credit to Jannik, who took him right out of the match.
"I was really surprised at the level Zverev came up with at the end of the second set and the third set, I don’t know what happened to him.
"He had no energy, he was flat as a pancake. He looked like the guy who got sick a couple of days ago, he looked weary and he played one set in five days. I don’t know what happened."
Fellow Eurosport pundit Mats Wilander also provided his verdict.
Discussing Zverev, he said: "I’m starting to wonder if there is the self-belief.
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"When I see this performance, not in terms of how he hit the ball or tactics, but in terms of emotional input, I’m starting to wonder if…
"I’m sure he believes early in the match, but you have to believe in the third set, when you win the first point in the last game.
"You have to bluff your opponent and when he doesn’t do that, it worries me, to be honest."
Meanwhile, Sinner was asked about his ongoing doping case after his victory.
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John McEnroe believes Alexander Zverev was 'flat as a pancake' in his Australian Open final defeat to Jannik Sinner
GETTYBut the 23-year-old batted away those questions, saying: "I'm not thinking at the moment about this.
"I just came off an amazing run again here. I want to enjoy this moment. Then it's the hearing. We know now the dates, and that's it.
"I'm very proud. It's actually tough to describe. Many, many things happen off the court, what you maybe don't know.
"When I go on the court, even if sometimes it's very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me.
Alexander Zverev was comprehensively outplayed by Jannik Sinner in their Australian Open final clash on Sunday
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"That for me is even more important because I can talk very openly with them. When I go on court, I try to focus on the match. Of course, it's still a little bit in the back of your mind. I know that I'm in this position now. So nothing I can change.
"I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened. If I know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this. Every time it [the case] came out in a very positive way, and I still believe it's going to be that case.
"At the moment I'm not thinking about this. Of course, you have your moments of certain days where you feel like I wish I would not have this problem."
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