Alexander Zverev after reaching French Open semi-final: I hope I deserved to win

James Richardson
Alexander Zverev celebrates at French Open
Alexander Zverev at French Open

German Alexander Zverev beat Argentine Tomas Etcheverry 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Wednesday’s men’s singles French Open quarter-final at Roland Garros.

After the match, Zverev compared Etcheverry to former US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro.

“Tomas is playing incredible tennis. He reminds me a lot of del Potro – his forehand, especially the way he hits it. He’s an incredible player, he’s very young,” said Zverev.

“I think if he keeps playing like this he’s going to be in the quarter-finals a lot more often. I think he can be top 10 and win big tournaments. I wish nothing but the best for him. Hopefully he can continue this way.”

Zverev welcomed the opportunity to play in the day time, suggesting evening matches are not his preference.

“The conditions during the day are a lot better for me. The ball is faster, the ball is a lot higher, so I think the way I play tennis on clay, faster conditions are definitely better. The adjustment is still more for the night. Overall it doesn’t matter. I’m at Roland Garros and I’m happy – there’s nothing else to talk about. At the end of the day, I think, I hope I deserved to win,” he added.

Zverev reached the semi-finals stage of the 2022 French Open, too. During last year’s last-four clash against Rafael Nadal, he sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for several months.

“I’m just happy to be through. As I said before, it was the most difficult year of my life. I love tennis with all my heart. I love the competitive spirit and that was taken away from me one year ago,” added Zverev.

Zverev also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and US Open in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Former French Open finalist Alex Corretja, meanwhile, is anticipating an intriguing tussle between Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz’s variations and Serbian Novak Djokovic’s experience during Thursday’s men’s singles event quarter-final.

“Everybody is so pumped for Carlos to do well here at Roland Garros. They are expecting that big clash against Djokovic,” Corretja told Eurosport.

“I’m sure it’s not going to be easy, but everyone is confident with Alcaraz back home; that he can do well and play well, being ready, but he’s going to suffer, because it’s not easy to beat Djokovic in best of five.

“He needs to be patient, and wait for his chance. He needs to play his game. He doesn’t need to change anything specific. He will need to be there knowing that Novak has plenty of experience of best of fives, that he’s going to play deep and long rallies.

“I’m expecting a big battle, but I think Carlos has a bit more variation in his game, but Novak has, for sure, more experience.”

ALSO READ: Why Carlos Alcaraz has the edge over Novak Djokovic

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