Alexander Zverev defeated Rafael Jodar, 7-6, 6-1, 6-3, in the French Open quarter-finals.
The world number three made light work of the talented young Spaniard, booking his place in the Roland Garros semi-finals.
How many major titles will Alexander Zverev retire with if he wins the 2026 French Open?
He's the favourite to win in Paris…
After the match, Zverev made an interesting comment about Roger Federer.
Alexander Zverev sometimes felt like he didn’t know how to play tennis when he faced Roger Federer
During his post-match press conference, Zverev was asked about the art of shot selection and whether it can be taught or if it takes time to learn.
“I think when you are young, when you grow and become physically stronger, you automatically have more weapons, and those weapons, all of a sudden, they surprise you a little bit,” said Zverev.
“You can hit a forehand now, all of a sudden, at 100 mph, or you can serve at 140, which maybe a year ago you couldn’t do, because you grow, you’re physically stronger.
“Sometimes you want to use that all the time, and I think it takes time, just time, years on tour to realise that you don’t always have to.
“It also depends on the opponent, what state the opponent is in, it’s just time on tour I think.”
Zverev then explained the importance of variety and how Federer used that to his advantage so effectively.
“I think variety comes into play. I think that’s where Roger [Federer] was probably the best ever, to change things up,” he said.
“Sometimes when he was playing incredibly well, you felt like you didn’t know how to play him after a couple of games.
“And you felt like you didn’t know how to play tennis anymore because he was destroying your game.
“He could hit a forehand 110 mph, and then he could hit a dropshot the next point. It was always very confusing to play him.
“When you have power, natural power, other things become more easy to use. The drop shot becomes more easy to use, because people back off. A kick serve becomes easier to use when you have 140 in your shoulder.
“When you do it constantly, and all the time, it’s not as effective.”
Zverev was full of praise for Federer, highlighting how well he mixed things up during his career.
But how did Zverev fare when he played the 20-time Grand Slam champion?
How well did Alexander Zverev play against Roger Federer?
Zverev and Federer met seven times between 2016 and 2019.
The German was at the beginning of his career while the Swiss was at the end of his, but their short-lived rivalry was still hotly contested.
Zverev won their head-to-head 4-3, picking up the decisive win in their final meeting at the 2019 Shanghai Masters.
Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer’s head-to-head record (4-3)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2019 Shanghai Masters – QF | Alexander Zverev | Roger Federer | 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 |
| 2018 ATP Finals – SF | Alexander Zverev | Roger Federer | 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2017 ATP Finals – RR | Roger Federer | Alexander Zverev | 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 |
| 2017 Canadian Open – F | Alexander Zverev | Roger Federer | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2017 Halle Open – F | Roger Federer | Alexander Zverev | 6-1, 6-3 |
| 2016 Halle Open – SF | Alexander Zverev | Roger Federer | 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 |
| 2016 Italian Open – 2R | Roger Federer | Alexander Zverev | 6-3, 7-5 |
It was their penultimate match that Zverev may look back on with the fondest memories, though.
Zverev defeated Federer in straight sets to advance to the ATP Finals championship match for the first time in his career.
There, he defeated Novak Djokovic to clinch the title at the O2 Arena.
To this day, the ATP Finals remains one of the biggest trophies Zverev has won.
He will, of course, be after a slightly bigger trophy, in Paris…
Zverev is now just two wins away from a Grand Slam title, something that has eluded him so far.
The German is a three-time runner-up, but with Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner out of the picture, surely the French Open is his to win.
Zverev will play Jakub Mensik or Joao Fonseca in the semi-finals on Thursday, June 4, and, if he wins, he will advance to take on either Matteo Berrettini, Matteo Arnaldi, Flavio Cobolli, or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the French Open men’s singles final on Sunday, June 7.
