World No.3 Zverev failed to reach the second week at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2019, suffering a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 loss to No.14 seed Denis Shapovalov on Sunday.

In 26 grand slam appearances, Olympic gold medallist Zverev has yet to break through for his maiden title despite being consistently ranked among the world's top players.

Zverev let the 2020 US Open final slip to Dominic Thiem in five sets after winning the opening two sets, while he made semi-final exits at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows in 2021, and the 2020 Australian Open.

"I was playing bad the whole week. To be honest, I didn't think I was playing that great," Zverev said.

"Except against John Millman (in the second round) maybe I had a good match, but the other two matches weren't great either.

"It's very different also playing during the day and during the night here. I think that didn't help me in a way, as well.

"There is no excuses. At the end of the day, I've got to do better. I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No.1 and all that.

"But if I play like that, I don't deserve it. It's as simple as that.

"After a match like this, it's very silly to talk about it (aspiring to be No.1). I think I need to figure myself out first."

When asked what went wrong against Canadian rising star Shapovalov, Zverev said "everything".

"To be honest, there is not much I can say or take away that was positive from today. Maybe since Wimbledon, one of the worst matches I have played. It's just tough," the 24-year-old said.

"Obviously, I give credit to Denis. It's incredible he's in the quarters. I think he deserves it. He's done a lot of work. He's improved his game.

"But I've got to look at myself, as well. Today was just, in my opinion, awful from my side."

Australian Associated Press