Alexander Zverev clearly missed defending his title at the tennis tournament in Madrid.
At the Masters 1000 event on Sunday, the Olympic champion was clearly beaten by young Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz 3:6, 1:6 and had no chance at all.
The 19-year-old Alcaraz, who had already defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the previous rounds, showed a strong performance on the clay court in the Caja Magica and in this form is one of the top favorites at the French Open in Paris, which starts in two weeks.
Zverev, on the other hand, is still waiting for his first title win this year.
"Even though you're only five years old"
After his defeat, Alexander Zverev showed greatness and a sense of humor.
"Boy, you're the best player in the world at the moment," said Zverev after the game: "And even though you're only five years old, you beat us all in turn as you want." Zverev had the laughs on his Side.
In the one-sided match, on the other hand, there was nothing to laugh about for the German number one.
In the realm of the new clay court king Carlos Alcaraz, the Olympic champion was in a completely lost position.
Zverev was beaten after just 62 minutes.
Zverev was far too slow against the explosive game of the 19-year-old, he couldn't find a way to counter the drop shots and the 160 km/h forehand and at times seemed like an extra.
His third title in Madrid after 2018 and 2021 was never realistic.
Alcaraz will move up from ninth to sixth in the world rankings on Monday.
Zverev, on the other hand, number three in the world, will have to take his game to a whole different level to even come close to the long-awaited first Grand Slam title on the red ashes of Roland Garros.
Alcaraz left no doubt about his ambitions from the start.
The high-flyer of the year was quick on his feet, he played powerfully and efficiently and time and again let Zverev run into the void.
Zverev seemed dismayed, stood far too far behind the baseline and was simply taken by surprise by the Spaniard's fast game.
After the break to 4:2 and 31 minutes, the first set went to Alcaraz 6:3.
The picture did not change in the second set.
Zverev made mistakes after mistakes, his first serve didn't come, he was too slow, his few net attacks were too badly prepared, he rarely stood right on the ball. Breaks to 2: 1 and 4: 1 decided the match, Alcaraz really showed Zverev and converted his fourth match point after just 62 minutes - thanks to a double fault by Zverev.
The day before, Alcaraz had defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in a three-set match and sent his compatriots into a frenzy in the sold-out Caja Magica.
He was the first player ever to throw Rafael Nadal and Djokovic out of a tournament on red ashes.
"He can achieve anything," said Nadal, who agrees with Alcaraz: "I don't see any limits for myself.
I already feel for the top players in every tournament, in every match, on every surface."
This year, the 19-year-old has eight wins against top ten players on his record, and Alcaraz has been unbeaten on clay for ten matches with his tournament victories in Barcelona and now in Madrid - a more than impressive calling card for the French Open (22 May to June 5).