"You are going to win this tournament not once, but a lot of times" - Alexander Zverev on what he told Carlos Alcaraz at the net after beating him in French Open QF
Alexander Zverev advanced to the semifinals of the French Open for the second year in a row following a hard-fought victory over Carlos Alcaraz, who was among the pre-tournament favourites.
Zverev, who began well, kept his calm despite losing the third set to come through 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) against the Spaniard, who he lost to in the Madrid Open final last month.
After the match, the two players embraced at the net and shared some warm words. During his on-court interview, the German revealed that he told Alcaraz at the net that the 19-year-old would win the French Open "a lot of times."
Zverev on Alcaraz: "I told him at the net, 'You're going to win this tournament not once, but a lot of times.' I hope I can win it before he starts beating us all and we have no chance at all."
Seems factual at this point.
"I told him at the net, 'You're going to win this tournament not once, but a lot of times.' I hope I can win it before he starts beating us all and we have no chance at all," Zverev said.
The 25-year-old, who appeared to have the measure of his opponent's trademark drop shots, seized the initiative early by taking the first two sets.
Backed by a passionate crowd, Alcaraz fought back in the third set. But the German held his nerve during the course of a tense fourth-set tie-break just as Alcaraz was beginning to come into his own.
Nothing but respect for @alcarazcarlos03 🤝
@AlexZverev | #RolandGarros https://t.co/bJUvsJpy67
Zverev asserted that he had to play his best tennis from the outset.
"At the end of the day, I knew that I had to play my absolute best tennis from the start on and I am happy that I did that obviously," he said.
Alexander Zverev still chasing maiden Grand Slam triumph
Alexander Zverev, who reached the US Open final in 2020, is yet to win a Grand Slam. The Tokyo Olympic gold-medalist lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals at Roland Garros last year.
The German, who hasn't made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon, was a semifinalist at the 2020 Australian Open.
The 25-year-old has, however, won the ATP Finals in 2018 and again in 2021. The quarterfinal win over Alcaraz was Zverev's first over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam.
🏻
Thank u everyone for your support at @rolandgarros and congrats to @AlexZverev! 
🏻 Good luck in the rest of the tournament! 
Time to learn and improve, we'll be back to try again next year! 👋🏻😀 Thank u everyone for your support at @rolandgarros and congrats to @AlexZverev! 👏🏻 Good luck in the rest of the tournament! 😉 https://t.co/abLa9sfK24
Alcaraz, on his part, took the loss in his stride, stating in a tweet that it was time to learn and improve before returning next year.
"Time to learn and improve, we'll be back to try again next year! Thank u everyone for your support at @rolandgarros and congrats to @AlexZverev! Good luck in the rest of the tournament!" he wrote.
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