“I leave the court, I leave the tournament with my head very high,” he said. “I fight until the last ball. I fought until the last seco...
“I leave the court, I leave the tournament with my head very high,” he said. “I fight until the last ball. I fought until the last second of the game and I’m proud of it.
But the best-of-five-set format remains a different kind of challenge than the best-of-three-set variety played on the regular tour. For now, Alcaraz’s best results in major tournaments are the quarter-finals at the US Open last year and now in Paris.
“I didn’t start well, and at this level, quarter-final of a Grand Slam, you are playing against the best players in the world, so you have to start the game better than I did today” , said Alcaraz. “I have to follow the lesson. I mean, I have to improve for the next Grand Slam or the next games. But I would say that I am not far from reaching a semi-final or winning a Grand Slam.
Zverev, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros last year, clearly felt the odds were stacked against him on Tuesday in light of recent results at Alcaraz. Alcaraz had won the Barcelona and Madrid titles back-to-back on red clay and were on their way back to Roland Garros after saving a match point against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Viñolas in the second round.
“I knew I had to play my best tennis today from the start, and I’m glad I did,” Zverev said. “Obviously he kept coming back. He’s an amazing player. I told him at the net, he’s going to win this tournament many times, not just once, and I just hope I can win it before it starts. fight all of us, and we won’t stand a chance.
Zverev, despite his strong performance (and obvious relief) on Tuesday, is still a long way from winning his first Grand Slam singles title. In the semi-finals he will face the winner of Tuesday’s second match: a night session between Djokovic and fifth seed Rafael Nadal, who has won the French Open a record 13 times.
“It’s not really easier from here,” said Zverev, still elated. “But I’ve often said, I’m no longer 20 or 21; I am 25. I’m at the stage where I want to win, I’m also at the stage where I’m supposed to win.
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