Alexander Zverev is back in action for the first time since he blew his chance at winning the Australian Open.

Alexander Zverev suggested he was too harsh on himself following his latest defeat (Image: Getty)

Alexander Zverev has U-turned on his brutal assessment of his Australian Open performance.

The world No. 2 suffered a one-sided defeat to Jannik Sinner in the championship match, extending his losing streak in Grand Slam finals.

Zverev is now back in action for the first time since his gutting loss in the championship match, and he now regrets his comments.

The German has still never won a Major title but he had another chance to get his hands on his first big trophy last month. Zverev had previously blown a two-seat lead in the 2020 US Open final and, last year, suffered a five-set defeat at the French Open.

But his Australian Open loss to Sinner was his most one-sided Grand Slam final defeat yet. The Italian breezed through, winning 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 and retaining his crown in Melbourne.

Afterwards, Zverev was critical of himself. “Today was nowhere near good enough,” he said.

“In general, Jannik is better than me at the moment. It’s as simple as that.

Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in straight sets to win the Australian Open (Image: Getty)

“I think I served better than Jannik, and everything else he does better. So at the end of the day, he deserves to win. He’s the best player on hard courts right now. It’s as simple as that.”

After having more than two weeks to process the defeat, Zverev is back in action at this week’s Argentina Open, where he is the top seed.

Ahead of his campaign in Buenos Aires, the 27-year-old backtracked on his comments and suggested he was too harsh on himself.

“After losing that kind of final and a lot of emotions go through your head, a lot of things go through your head. And sometimes I also say things that I regret,” Zverev explained.

“I kind of regret saying that maybe I’m not good enough. I have to keep believing in myself and believe that I am good enough to win Grand Slams, and I am good enough to become world No. 1 if I keep improving.”

However, the German still believes he wasn’t up to par in the final. He continued: “In Australia, in the final, it was not good enough. I lost in three sets, so that was quite simple.

“The other two finals, I lost in five sets. In one of them, I had two sets to love and a break up, serving for the match in the US Open final against Dominic Thiem. That one, I regret.”

Zverev’s next chance at Grand Slam glory will be at the French Open. Last year, he reached the final and had a two-set-to-one lead but lost to Carlos Alcaraz. For now, he will be focused on chasing the title in Buenos Aires.