Zverev makes winning Toronto return after one month off court, Fernandez criticizes schedule post loss against Joint

Alexander Zverev made a storming return after a month away from tennis on Tuesday, with the top seed pounding out a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 win over Adam Watton to reach the third round of the ATP Toronto Masters.

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The Germantop seed, who lost in the Wimbledon first round, has spent the last weeks dealing with mental burnout and also made a trip to Rafael Nadal's Mallorca academy for consultations and perhaps some career advice during his time away.

The ATP world number three came from 4-1 down in the opening set tiebreaker and did not face a break point until he found himself down 0-40 as he tried to serve out victory leading a set and 5-3.

Though he lost that game, the German immediately broke back, with his Australian opponent double-faulting on a Zverev match point.

His victory included a massive 59-shot rally, with the triumph putting Zverev on 499 wins for his career.

"Sometimes it's just about winning," Zverev said. "It was not the prettiest match, though."

The 2017 champion in Canada will now play Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who defeated qualifier Tristan Schoolkate 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.