"I don't see Alexander Zverev as one of the top 3 favorites at French Open even though he won Italian Open" - Sam Querrey
Former ATP player Sam Querrey has dismissed Alexander Zverev's chances at the 2024 French Open. The German is heading into the year's second Grand Slam on the back of a triumph at the Italian Open, where he defeated Nicolas Jarry in the final. Zverev has been drawn against 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the first round at Roland Garros.
In Rome, third-seed Zverev reached the final after defeating Aleksandar Vukic, Luciano Darderi, Nuno Borges, Taylor Fritz, and Alejandro Tabilo. In the final, the German adopted a defensive approach to neutralize Jarry's hard-hitting style of play. Ultimately, the approach paid dividends as Zverev stormed to a 6-4, 7-5 victory and lifted his sixth Masters 1000 title.
Querrey recently featured as a guest on an episode of Racquet's Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. The former World No. 11 touched upon Zverev. According to Querrey, the German's second serve is a major weakness and will hamper his chances of "long-term success," particularly in Grand Slams.
"That's (Zverev's second serve) just not a recipe for long-term success to win multiple Grand Slams. He could win one, you never know, but over time that's not going to work," Querrey said (15:50).
Later, Querrey said he does not count Zverev among the top three favorites to win the 2024 French Open men's singles title.
"For me, I don't see him as one of the top 3 favorites at the French Open even though he won Rome," Querrey added (16:30).
Alexander Zverev's best result in Majors came at the 2020 US Open
Alexander Zverev has won 22 singles titles on the ATP Tour, which include six Masters 1000s and the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. However, in Grand Slams, success has evaded him so far.
The closest the German came to winning a Major was at the 2020 US Open, where he faced Dominic Thiem in the final. Zverev looked in control and well on his way to winning his maiden Grand Slam title as he won the first two sets.
However, Thiem turned the tables on the German in some style, winning the third, fourth, and fifth sets to emerge victorious [2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6)], leaving Zverev in tears at the end.
In the first round of this year's French Open against Nadal, Alexander Zverev would be hoping for better fortune compared to how things went when the pair clashed in the 2022 semifinals at Roland Garros.
On that occasion, the German's chances were derailed by a severe ankle injury, which forced him to retire mid-match. Nadal would go on to win his 14th French Open and 22nd Grand Slam title. The Spaniard defeated Casper Ruud in the final.