French Open: Zverev wins 7:6, 6:1, 6:3 against the exceptional Spanish talent Jódar

Tuesday was a terrible day in Paris, weather-wise. The heat wave phase is over in this second week of the French Open tournament anyway, but now it was pouring rain at times. This at least had a small, not insignificant positive consequence for Alexander Zverev’s quarter-finals. The roof over the main stadium, the Court Philippe-Chatrier, was closed. Indoor tennis was the order of the day at this clay court classic in the west of the city, with conditions that suited Germany’s third-placed player in the world rankings. On the one hand.

On the other hand, Zverev prefers high temperatures. So it took a while for him to get going. But it ultimately turned out to be a wonderful day for Zverev: he quickly called off his young challenger’s major attack. Quite unspectacular, in fact. Zverev seems to be leaving the drama to other players in this edition of the tournament.

The 29-year-old tennis professional from Hamburg – after a brisk start that left him 2:5 behind – prevailed confidently, as in the four previous games, this time with 7:6 (3), 6:1, 6:3 against the exceptional Spanish talent Rafael Jódar. The 19-year-old from Madrid has been experiencing an almost unprecedented rise for the past year and is already 29th in the world rankings. Zverev is in the semi-finals for the fifth time in his eleventh participation in Paris. And he has reached his eleventh Grand Slam semi-final overall.

All great values, but the fact that Zverev didn’t throw himself ecstatically onto the fiery red surface and just politely raised his arms obviously has something to do with his mission. Now or never is the motto. He really wants to win his first Grand Slam victory. The opportunity is greater than ever for him, the previously unfinished man who has already lost three Grand Slam finals and experienced many other disappointments at the four most important tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York.

In any case, the three big opponents Jannik Sinner (second round exit), Carlos Alcaraz (missed injured) and Novak Djokovic (third round exit) can no longer stop Zverev. He would be the first German Grand Slam winner since Boris Becker’s triumph in Melbourne at the Australian Open in 1996. “I want to continue like this,” Zverev said relaxed on the pitch during the short interview. “I want to win my further matches.” He refrained from making any further suggestions.

Zverev reports that he brought his grandmother from Sochi to Europe – Natalia is there for the first time in Paris

The success against Jódar can be seen above all as a mental victory for him. None of those remaining in the field are ahead of him in the world rankings, which has made him the favorite. And indeed: Zverev continues to withstand this new pressure excellently, that’s the latest news from Paris. In the semifinals on Friday he will face Czech Jakub Mensik, 20, who defeated Brazilian João Fonseca, who is a year younger, 6:4, 6:3, 7:6 (7:3). He played against Mensik once this year and won.

The match immediately started intensely, Jódar’s first serve went four times over and lasted eight minutes before he secured it. When Zverev equalized to make it 1-1, there were 17 minutes on the clock. It could be fun if the two of them continued this battle of attrition. Jódar grabbed the first break, but a weak serve game at 5:3 cost him the set. He let Zverev back into the match, who thanked 7:6 (3) after 67 minutes. The experience was noticeable. Jódar made too many mistakes and his initial euphoria seemed to be contained.

Zverev stayed with himself and managed the break to make it 3-1, even though he didn’t play breathtakingly well. It was enough that he solidly downplayed what he could do. Jódar lost touch. Even if he experienced a certain amount of hype, one should not forget: For Jódar, this was only his second Grand Slam tournament. He made his debut on this big stage at the Australian Open in January. In Melbourne he even had to go through qualifying and then made it to the second round in the main field. Maybe he felt that he had been on the court for three and a half hours longer than Zverev during the tournament in Paris. He won twice in the fifth set. In any case, Zverev was the boss and also dictated the match in the third set. The class difference was visible.

After 2:25 hours, Zverev converted the first match point. And as if the weather gods had come up with something nice, a storm cloud thundered over the stadium at the very moment when Zverev hit a final forehand shot down the line, out of reach of Jódar.

If Zverev overcomes the hurdle in the semifinals, he can really believe in the title. Zverev doesn’t have to fear anyone in the top half of the quarter-finals, three Italians are still in the competition. On Wednesday, Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi will play against each other, Flavio Cobolli will duel with the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the only remaining top ten player alongside Zverev. Zverev has a positive match record against everyone. Does he feel pressure? “I’ve been in this situation before,” Zverev replied in the press conference. “I’m here now, I’m going to give the interview, then I’m going to eat something, then I’m going to get a massage, play Mario Kart and go to sleep.” One thing is certain for him: “For me, my life doesn’t change whether I play against Djokovic in the semi-finals or against one of the young guys. I know that it will be a tough match. Nothing changes for me in terms of preparation.”

Zverev seemed really relaxed. And it’s as if he doesn’t really give a damn about his tempting prospect. Only at one point in the press round did he become more profound. When it came to his grandmother Natalia, who is also there for the first time. “Unfortunately, my grandfather died some time ago,” explained Zverev. “We brought her to Europe. It’s just relatively difficult to get a visa. That took a little longer because she still has a Russian passport. Now she has a visa and travels with us a bit. And just enjoys life a bit. She enjoys her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.” In Sochi, where Natalia lives, she would have little to do. “That’s why she tries to be with us as much as possible.” Maybe she joined the family at exactly the right moment and will soon be able to admire amazing things.