Marcos was beaten in the first round of the Heineken Open on Wednesday, falling 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 to American lucky loser Steve Johnson.
The match had originally been scheduled for Tuesday evening, but was postponed due to rain in Auckland. When the players took the court at 10am on Wednesday, World No. 160 Johnson fired 13 aces and broke serve three times to claim victory in just over two hours. It was their first meeting.
Marcos will now have a few days to keep practising ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on Monday in Melbourne. It is the Grand Slam where Marcos has consistently enjoyed success, reaching the final in 2006 and the fourth round in 2009 and 2005.
