It remains to be seen whether Zverev, who leads world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz by 625 points in the ATP rankings, will be the top seed in Miami.
Asked if had been thinking about possibly becoming No. 1 in Jannik Sinner’s absence, Zverev admitted “it was in the beginning,” but now “it’s less, because I’m just playing terrible.”
Since losing the Australian Open final, Zverev has played four tournaments, but hasn’t won more than two matches at any of them. He’s lost three of four overall, to world No. 86 Francisco Comesana (Rio de Janeiro), No. 83 Learner Tien (Acapulco) and, now, No. 43 Griekspoor.
“For me, I have to find my game before thinking about that,” said Zverev, “because to become world No. 1, you have to win tournaments. And I’m not getting past first, second round at the moment.”