Alexander Zverev wiped away the confrontation with his terrible record with the self-confidence of a champion, even if he has never been one in Paris. “I’m not interested in such statistics,” said the German tennis player after his first semi-final at the French Open: “I know what I’m capable of. That’s the only thing that matters to me. ”With a broad chest, Zverev finally wants to achieve in Paris what he has never managed in nine attempts.
Because in order to keep his dream of the first Grand Slam title alive, the 24-year-old has to defeat a top 10 player in one of the four major tournaments for the first time. The fact that he also has to clear a feared opponent out of the way in the world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday does not make the task any easier.
And so immediately after his lackluster, but ultimately sovereign three-set win (6: 4, 6: 1, 6: 1) against the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday evening, Zverev set his sights on the duel with the 22-year-old Greek. In order not to leave anything to chance, we went back to the pitch immediately after the quarter-final match at dinner time. Service training was on the program. The usual regeneration session in the ice chamber and an extended training session followed on Wednesday. “I’ll do everything I can to ensure that I’m in top shape this Friday and that my game is 100 percent available,” said the man from Hamburg.
The balance speaks for the opponent
Zverev will need his best form, because the record speaks clearly for the Greek, who will be in a Grand Slam semi-final for the third time in a row. Tsitsipas won five of the seven duels with the German, and he is the clear number one in the season ranking.
“Tsitsipas had an unbelievable clay court season, we don’t even need to talk about that,” Zverev praised his next opponent. “Everyone knows how well they played. It’s not going to be an easy match. «But the last comparison so far gives hope: In the final of Acapulco in March, the German retained the upper hand, albeit on hard court.
For Zverev, the game on Friday will basically be the first really well-known challenge of this tournament in Paris. The completely overwhelmed Davidovich Fokina was 46th in the current tennis world rankings, the highest hurdle so far – due to a favorable draw and failures by some of the favorites.
“In the end, I played against the players who faced me. I can’t choose my opponents, “said Zverev and emphasized:” My opponents didn’t get this far in the tournament without a reason. “For Zverev, the only thing that counted was that he got rid of the supposedly simple tasks relatively confidently – this also underlines finally a certain maturation process.
The semi-finals are not enough
“Before Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas came, I was seen in the media as the guy who was suddenly supposed to take over the tennis world,” explained Zverev. Apparently that had bothered him for a long time. Now, however, the Russian and the Greek are more at the center of international media interest. That helped Zverev with self-reflection. “I put pressure on myself too. I wasn’t very patient. I think I’ve now learned to deal with the situation a little better. “
This is another reason why Zverev is still far from satisfied with what has been achieved. “Sure, I’m glad I’m in the semi-finals,” he said. “But I don’t do joyful dances, the tournament is not over yet.” SID / nd
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