Roland-Garros 2021: Tsitsipas – Zverev: Shock of ambitious for a first final

The context

The air of nothing, they settle down. In the last five Grand Slam tournaments they have played, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev have reached the last four three times each, and the Greek even remains on three semi-finals in Major. This is to say if the two men, who were two of the most promising representatives of the “Next Gen”, increasingly assume their status as heirs to the three monsters Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

At the best of three sets, it’s been a while since the Greek and the German have asserted themselves. They have also won two of the three Masters 1000 of the spring preparation on clay: Monte-Carlo for the first, Madrid for the second. But in the long format, they also take up more and more space and this was seen in their very way of approaching the tournament. Tsitsipas was initially astonished by declaring that he wanted to be “the surprise of the tournament“, before adding, smirking, that any better result than a semi-final would surprise him.

As for Alexander Zverev, he had indicated that challenging Nadal in Paris would be interesting, after his defeat in Rome against the Mallorcan (whom he had previously beaten in Madrid). The great Sascha had never passed the quarter-finals at Roland Garros before this 2021 edition, but his loss in extremis in the final of the US Open, although hard to take, reinforced his determination to triumph over the most big scenes. With the exception of a fear during his entry into contention against his compatriot Oscar Otte, he traced his route without looking in the rearview mirror, disgusting in particular Kei Nishikori and an Alejandro Davidovich Fokina admittedly worn in his last two matches.

Tsitsipas, he also took advantage of the absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in this part of the table. But above all, he has shown that his current confidence and his average level on clay allowed him to respond to all styles of opponents: from great servers like John Isner to (very) solid players in the exchange like Pablo Carreno Busta. , and down to his pet peeve Daniil Medvedev overpowered in three sets with impressive composure. The Greek, who also benefited from two days of rest like the German, will arrive fresh on the Philippe-Chatrier court for this ambitious shock: a first final at Roland-Garros is at the end.

Face to face

• In their duels on the circuit so far, the younger of the two has the advantage. Stefanos Tsitsipas leads 5 wins to 2 against Alexander Zverev, who however won their last clash a few months ago in the final of the Acapulco tournament (6-4, 7-6) on hard.
• On clay, they crossed swords only once in Madrid, in the quarterfinals two years ago, and it was the Greek who won (7-5, 3-6, 6 -2).
• For the first time, the two men will face each other in Grand Slam, the best of five sets.

Their journey

Stefanos Tsitsipas

1st round: beats Jérémy Chardy [FRA] 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-1
2e tour : bat Pedro Martinez [ESP] 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
3e tour : bat John Isner [E-U/N.31] 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-1
1 / 8e of finale: bat Pablo Carreno Busta [ESP/N.12] 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
1/4 final: beat Daniil Medvedev [RUS/N.2] 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-5

Alexander Zverev

1st round: bat Oscar Otte [ALL/Q] 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0
2e tour : bat Roman Safiullin [RUS/Q] 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(1)
3e tour : bat Laslo Djere [SER] 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
1 / 8e de finale: bat Kei Nishikori [JAP] 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
1/4 finale: bat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina [ESP] 6-4, 6-1, 6-1

They said

Stefanos Tsitsipas: “Of course I play well, and I think that if I continue in this way, to push myself every day in training, there will be a reward at the end. And why not in this tournament? Everyone who is still in the running thinks they can win. I feel privileged to be in the semi-finals, but my ego tells me I want more. “

Alexander Zverev : “It’s an apprenticeship, and slowly but surely, I start to take the hand in Grand Slam. It’s good not having had to play Rafa (Nadal) or Novak (Djokovic) in the quarter-finals. I think playing Rafa in the final here, for example, is even more difficult. But before thinking about it, you have to already be there.”

Three stats to remember

46. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 46th player in the world, is the highest ranked opponent faced by Alexander Zverev to reach the semi-finals. The German is also the 7th player since 1985 to reach this stage at Roland Garros without having faced members of the Top 40. In this small list, only one player went further: Rafael Nadal, who won the tournament under the same conditions in 2020.

41. Stefanos Tsitsipas has spent 41 minutes more than Alexander Zverev on the court since the start of the fortnight. A difference all the more negligible as the two players benefited from two days of rest before this semi-final.

2008. A semi-final at Roland Garros between two players under 25 (Zverev is 24, Tsitsipas 22), we had not seen this for 13 years. At the time in 2008, the players concerned were … Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (21) who will face each other in the other semi-final. In Grand Slam, this Tsitsipas-Zverev is the youngest semi-final in 11 years and the one that opposed Andy Murray to Marin Cilic at the 2010 Australian Open.

Our opinion

The clash promises to be explosive between two of the most fit and ambitious players of the moment. From the draw for this 2021 edition of Roland-Garros, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev understood that they had a rare opportunity to qualify for a Grand Slam final without having to achieve a major performance or feat against Rafael. Nadal and Novak Djokovic, placed in the same part of the table, once is not customary. And neither the Greek nor the German disappointed. They even showed a lot of confidence and don’t want to settle for this semi-final.

That being said, several observations seem to give the Greek a slight advantage. First, there is the record of their confrontations which tilts in his favor as we have seen above, even if Zverev has no reason to make any complex. Then there is the diversity and the pedigree of the opponents encountered and defeated by Tsitsipas during this fortnight. By dominating in three sets Daniil Medvedev, even if the Russian is less comfortable on clay, the number 1 in the Race (ranking since January 1, 2021) sent a message: he is increasing in power, is on a mission and masters all facets of the ocher game.

Less complete on the surface, especially in his ability to lift, Zverev can play on his experience as a Grand Slam finalist, a stage not yet reached by his rival. Above all, he has other weapons. If his percentage of first balls is very high, he will have a formidable launching pad to impose his game and his power. The German has limited the number of his double faults in his previous rounds. If he continues on this path, he could well create knots in Tsitsipas’s brain. But this one will exploit the slightest sign of excitement and it seems to give more guarantees on its ability to maintain a very high level.