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French Open: Novak Djokovic is actually no darkish horse to quarterfinal foe Alexander Zverev
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Happened a bit of greater than a month in the past, even, when he was coming off three consecutive losses — his second skid of that size in 2025 — and was significantly involved about being 0-2 on crimson clay this season as the beginning of the French Open approached.
So Djokovic determined to enter the Geneva Open and what have you learnt? He hasn’t misplaced since, going 8-0 heading into his quarterfinal matchup in opposition to No. 3 Alexander Zverev at Roland-Garros on Wednesday.
After leaving Geneva with the championship, Djokovic not solely has received his first 4 matches in Paris, however has but to drop a set.
“It happens if you lose a match or two consecutively, and then you don’t feel you have enough match play, you start to maybe doubt your game. You don’t want to be in that state of the mind coming into Grand Slams,” the 38-year-old Serb stated. “So I’m just glad it all turned out to be perfect for me, in that sense.”
He and Zverev, a 28-year-old German, know one another fairly effectively, on a court docket and off.
This can be their 14th head-to-head contest on tour relationship to 2017 — Djokovic holds an 8-5 benefit — and first since assembly within the semifinals on the Australian Open in January. That one ended after only one set: Djokovic stopped taking part in due to an injured hamstring, drawing boos from the ticket-buyers, and Zverev defended him.
Their solely earlier encounter in Paris got here again in 2019, and Djokovic received their quarterfinal in three units.
When Zverev, who credit Djokovic with serving as one thing of a mentor, appeared forward to Wednesday, he stated: “It’s all the time a privilege to be on court docket with him.”
The different quarterfinal Wednesday can be No. 1 Jannik Sinner in opposition to unseeded Alexander Bublik, the primary man from Kazakhstan to get this far at any Grand Slam match. The first two males’s quarterfinals had been scheduled for Tuesday and, surprisingly, every one concerned an American: defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain vs. No. 12 Tommy Paul, and No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy vs. No. 15 Frances Tiafoe.
There was a little bit of buzz after first-match losses at tournaments in Monte Carlo after which Madrid about whether or not Djokovic mustn’t even be regarded as a contender this time round at Roland-Garros, though it’s a place the place he has claimed the trophy thrice. He is also the one participant to beat 14-time champion Rafael Nadal greater than as soon as on the French Open.
Both of these April setbacks got here in opposition to unseeded opponents, Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi. Both had been over in straight units.
So Zverev was requested Tuesday whether or not Djokovic, whose latest woes dropped him to No. 6 within the seedings, is likely to be regarded as a darkish horse in Paris.
The premise appeared misguided to Zverev, who’s a three-time runner-up at main tournaments — together with to Alcaraz at Roland-Garros a 12 months in the past and to Sinner at Melbourne Park this 12 months.
“I mean, the guy won 24 Grand Slams. He’s never going to be a horse. He definitely knows how to play tennis,” Zverev stated. “He definitely knows what it means to be on the big stage and to play big matches. There is no doubt about that.”
Howard Fendrich has been the ’s tennis author since 2002. Find his tales right here: /creator/howard-fendrich. More tennis: /hub/tennis
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