Alexander Zverev has reached the final of Roland Garros for the second time in his career.
Zverev has been the Roland Garros favourite ever since top seed Jannik Sinner suffered a shock defeat in the second round.
The world number three has been under a lot of pressure in Paris, but Zverev has only dropped two sets en route to the final.
After Zverev beat Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 he spoke in his on-court interview, where he made a comment about the French crowd.
Everything Alexander Zverev said after beating Jakub Mensik
After beating Mensik, Zverev was full of praise for his Czech opponent, who was playing his first ever Grand Slam semi-final.
“Amazing the way he played this last two weeks,” Zverev said about Mensik. “He beat so many unbelievable players and I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge I had had so far. I managed, I won, I am happy.”
Zverev appeared to be cruising to a straight sets win before Mensik fought back in the third set after taking a medical timeout.
This is just one of two sets Zverev has dropped at Roland Garros this year, and he continued his praise for Mensik once again.
“He started playing amazingly in the third set,” continued Zverev. “He really stepped up another level, but this is a Grand Slam and best of five set matches.
“Things are going to happen, opponents are going to play better, you have to deal with it and manage it. I did and I hope to play another great match on Sunday.”
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He's into another French Open final…
Zverev was then asked about the French crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier, which he appears to be very fond of.
“I think the atmosphere here is always amazing,” added Zverev. “The French crowd is always very into their tennis and it’s such a historic event. I just enjoy playing on such a beautiful court.”
Roland Garros this year has seen many players struggle physically, including Mensik, and Zverev was then asked if he thinks tennis is the toughest sport in the world.
“The toughest but in some way also the nicest because you know anything can happen at any given moment and you can always find a way,” answered Zverev.
“On a faster grass court it is more difficult, here you have to play every point like it’s your last and I think this is the special and fun part about Roland Garros.”
Zverev has played many matches on the biggest courts around the world, and in the final question of his on-court interview he was asked what goes through his head when he hears his name being called out.
“Pure emptiness. There is absolutely nothing in my head,” said Zverev. “We are athletes, very few of us have anything in our head anyway. So sometimes it’s easier to be stupid than not think too much!”
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Alexander Zverev’s record in Grand Slam finals
Zverev reaching a Grand Slam final is not something new, and he is now into the fourth major final of his career.
However, he will now be attempting to do something he never has in his career before, with Zverev losing all three of his previous Grand Slam finals.
This includes the Roland Garros final in 2024, where Zverev led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to one before ultimately losing in five sets.
| Grand Slam where Zverev reached the final | Final result |
| US Open 2020 | Dominic Thiem beat Zverev, 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6(6) |
| Roland Garros 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz beat Zverev, 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 |
| Australian Open 2025 | Jannik Sinner beat Zverev, 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 |
Zverev will now await an Italian opponent in the Roland Garros final, but it will not be Sinner like many expected.
Instead, Zverev’s final opponent will be Flavio Cobolli, who reached the final after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the second semi-final due to a viral illness.
