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Alexander Zverev has acknowledged his game and his confidence have been shaken by his poor run this season.

The 22-year-old from Germany finished 2018 by winning the ATP Tour Finals but this season, he has not won back-to-back matches since reaching the Acapulco finals. Having entered Barcelona to try to get some more competitive play, Zverev fell in his opener against Nicolas Jarry despite holding a match point and third-set lead.

"I just played bad. It's not a secret. I'm in a hole," Zverev was quoted as telling press at Barcelona. "The tennis was very low-level. Most of the points I won were unforced errors by him. I couldn't hit aggressive shots, I'm hitting double faults."

But the No. 3 says that while he isn't sure what to do to turn it around, solving such problems is a part of playing professional tennis.

"I'm experiencing defeats, especially on clay, that I haven't experienced for a few years," he said. "But if you ask Rafa or Roger, they will tell you they've gone through the same thing, it's normal."

Zverev is next scheduled to play Madrid, where he is the defending champion.