Alexander Zverev now has arguably the best opportunity he will ever get to finally win a Grand Slam title.
At least, that is what John McEnroe is insisting when rating the 28-year-old’s chances of finally breaking his duck at Roland Garros this year.
However, with such expectation comes pressure that he will not be used to, and as such many are wondering whether he will have what it takes to see it through from such a fortuitous position.
McEnroe has now weighed in, predicting whether Alexander Zverev will actually win the title in Paris later this week.
John McEnroe rates Alexander Zverev’s chances of winning Roland Garros
Discussing the German’s chances in Paris this year, as the draw continues to open up for him, McEnroe began by arguing, on TNT Sports: “Zverev is under more pressure than he ever has been in his life, because he should win this, obviously, right? It’s right there for the taking.
“There’s no Carlos, no Jannik, no Novak. So, if he doesn’t win it…”.
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He's the favourite to win in Paris…
However, he’s been encouraged by how Zverev has dealt with the pressure thus far, adding: “Zverev, he came out tight the last couple matches, but he stepped up big. I mean, that serve is, you know, well, this guy [John Isner], yeah, biggest server in the history, but this guy backs it up with some serious groundies also.
“So, to me, the way he’s serving, and actually stepping into forehands is what we’ve been waiting for I think, for the past two, three, four years, you know, to finally do this, to get over the hump, and I think he’s going to do it.”
This comes after, speaking on TNT Sports’ live broadcast during his match against Jodar, McEnroe had already claimed: “If he doesn’t win this tournament this year, I’d have mixed feelings about whether or not he could ever…
“Actually I don’t want to have mixed feelings. I don’t think he’ll ever win it if he doesn’t win it this year.”
Alexander Zverev remains calm despite being the huge Roland Garros favourite
Although Zverev remains coy and relatively calm whenever asked about his chances of winning Roland Garros, there’s no denying that he is the outstanding player left in the draw, and therefore the overwhelming favourite.
And he will know this better than most.
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Alexander Zverev is the favourite…
He has arguably never been in such a strong position, but even that brings its own unique pressures.
In the past, he has wilted when heading into semi-finals or finals as the underdog. Now, he will have to avoid suffering the same fate whilst being the favourite.
Zverev was asked about how it felt to be the favourite at Roland Garros very recently, following the exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
His answer was brief: “I will focus on the matches that are ahead of me. This is the only thing I can control.”
