Sawt Falasteen - Defending Rome champion Zverev blames burn out on poor run of form

The 28-year-old world number two put an end to the dry run -- which included opening round defeats in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo -- by winning the ATP title in Munich in mid-April.

The German, who is still seeking his first Grand Slam title, said he should in retrospect have taken time off after losing to Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the Australian Open final at the end of January.

"Before Munich obviously my level of play wasn't great," he said at Tuesday's press conference.

"There are reasons for it. I think not taking time off after Australia was a big reason for it. I felt like I burned out a little bit."

Zverev said the life of a professional tennis player was an incessant cycle of travelling and playing without any time to rest.

"Tennis is a tough sport," he said.

"We play a lot. We travel a lot. First of all, we don't give our bodies rest, but we also don't give our heads rest.

"They don't get mental rest. I needed that a little bit.

"I'm on a good path. I won a tournament two weeks ago. I cannot forget that. And I have to focus on the positives."

Zverev, though, said he believed one day he would be world number one and lashed out at the media for belittling him when he was enduring the bad run.

He said he was not the only one who had been struggling lately with former number ones and multiple Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz also enduring some tough times.

"I do think the media also loves to put players down, right?" he said.

"I had a bad two months before Munich, right?

"I didn't play great tennis before Munich. All of a sudden I'm like the worst world No. 2 ever.

"I don't deserve to be there.

"I'm there because I won tournaments. I'm there because I have results."

Zverev is hoping a good title defence in Rome will set him up to go one better than last year at the French Open and be crowned champion.

"At the end of the day in big matches, big moments, I still believe the top players will rise," he said.

"I still believe that I am going to find my tennis for the biggest tournaments."

Q.Najjar--SF-PST