Zverev’s stock is growing for the French Open amid worries about Djokovic, Nadal, Sinner, and Alcaraz.
ROME: Top-ranked. Novak Djokovic hasn’t won a tournament this year. Rafael Nadal, the 14-time French Open champion, has not been doing well recently.Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have sustained injuries. Daniil Medvedev has only won one clay-court title in his career.
With his second Italian Open championship, Alexander Zverev’s chances at Roland Garros are promising, especially given the current state of his top five adversaries.
I’m someone who understands that if I don’t play well, I can lose to anyone; if I play well, I know I can defeat anyone. That is my attitude. That’s how I see it, Zverev remarked after holding the trophy in Rome. I know I need to focus on myself in order to find my rhythm in Paris, as I did here. Then everything is on my own terms.
Zverev won 44 of his 49 service points in a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over 24th-ranked Nicolas Jarry in Rome on Sunday, his first prize since suffering a severe ankle injury two years ago.
The fifth-ranked Zverev has had a hard road to comeback since injuring three ligaments in his right ankle during the 2022 French Open quarterfinals versus Nadal.
In total, Zverev has reached three successive semifinals at Roland Garros, prompting him to declare it the championship he wants to win more than any other.
“It’s the one where I have the most memories, good or bad,” Zverev said. “U.S. Open, yes, I was two points away from winning the title. Of course, that’s another one that kind of sticks out. But Roland Garros was so close to being in the final in 2021 that I felt like I was playing some of the best tennis of my life in 2022. Those kinds of things are still in the back of my mind. That’s the one that I want to do well in.”
That loss in the 2020 U.S. Open final to Dominic Thiem remains the closest that the 27-year-old Zverev has gotten to capturing a Grand Slam trophy. Having been in the top five in the rankings for years, secured Olympic gold in Tokyo three years ago, and won the ATP Finals twice, a Grand Slam trophy is the only important thing missing in his career.
And if Zverev is going to contend in Paris, he’s going to have to do it while dealing with a significant distraction.
Zverev has disputed a penalty ruling from a German court on charges that he caused bodily harm to a woman, and he will go on trial in his home country starting on May 31—eentering the middle weekend of the French Open.
Zverev is accused of physically hurting and injuring the health of a woman during an incident in Berlin four years ago. He indicated in Rome that he wouldn’t attend the opening of the court proceedings.
Zverev, who climbed one spot to No. 4 in the rankings revealed on Monday, recounted an emotional encounter over the weekend with his father and coach, both called Alexander Zverev.
While Zverev remained composed on the court, his father broke down in tears in the stands during the trophy ceremony.
“A father is always important, regardless of who he is,” Zverev stated. “Obviously, this is really significant in my profession. It’s funny because we have a terrific relationship—which is not usually the case—a father-son, father-daughter relationship when they also train them. You see that a lot, and it’s really unsteady. But we have a fantastic friendship outdoors as well.”
A few years ago, the elder Zverev was absent from the player’s box owing to medical concerns.
“I’m going to keep him around as long as he wants,” the younger Zverev stated. “It’s definitely a wonderful time for all of us, especially because this is my first Masters after an injury. There were certainly a lot of questions regarding whether I’d be back at this level.”
Djokovic has entered a little tournament in Geneva this week to gain extra match experience before the French Open, and Sinner and Alcaraz have returned to the practice courts after hip and right forearm ailments, respectively.
