Alexander Zverev overcame an early scare to defeat Rafael Jodar in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
Zverev, the overwhelming favourite to win his first Grand Slam title following the exits of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, defeated Jodar 7-6, 6-1, 6-3.
It was far from a simple affair for the German superstar, who overcame a 3-5 deficit in the first set.
Do you really believe that Alexander Zverev can win a Grand Slam title?
It was an impressive performance from Zverev, who will await Joao Fonseca or Jakub Mensik in the semi-finals.
Tim Henman offered his analysis of Zverev’s performance midway through Tuesday’s contest, and the former British number one has identified a ‘great sign’ in the German’s game.
Tim Henman says Alexander Zverev’s consistent aggression is a ‘great sign’
During the opening stages of Tuesday’s contest, Alexander Zverev was struggling to deal with the aggression of Rafael Jodar’s play.
The German was on the back foot; standing too far back from the baseline and struggling to get enough depth on his shots.
Alexander Zverev’s projected path to his first Grand Slam title
- Semi-finals: Joao Fonseca / Jakub Mensik
- Final: Matteo Berrettini / Matteo Arnaldi / Felix Auger-Aliassime / Flavio Cobolli
However, the German eventually made the necessary adjustments, and could be seen standing closer to the baseline as the match went on, while also displaying a greater level of aggression in his play.
Tim Henman [pictured below] believes this aggression represents a ‘great sign’ for the German moving forward.
“He is certainly my favourite. He really is playing more aggressively,” Henman said midway through the third set.
“You see how he [Zverev] is transitioning from the return when he is a long way back and then getting up closer to the baseline.
“When he is getting the opportunity he is stepping in and then hitting it off both wings hard down the line.
“His consistent aggression is a great sign and perhaps is what has been missing in what are the biggest matches for him in the past.
“But he has continued to develop. Add that to his serving which is so consistent and so good. He is doing well.”
Alexander Zverev’s impressive Roland Garros feat
As per OptaAce, Alexander Zverev has reached a fifth semi-final at Roland Garros, becoming the first player born since 1990 to reach five men’s singles semi-finals at a single Grand Slam event.
Zverev first reached the Roland Garros semi-finals in 2021. He was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas in a close five-set contest.
The German also reached the last four in 2022 and 2023, losing to Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud, respectively.
In 2024, Zverev reached the semi-finals once more. On this occasion he emerged victorious, beating Casper Ruud 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to book his place in a first Roland Garros final.
The two-time ATP Finals champion looked to be on his way to claiming his first major title when he took a two-sets-to-one lead against third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
However, Alcaraz roared back to claim victory, securing his first Roland Garros title.
