Alexander Zverev defeated Rafael Jodar, 7-6, 6-1, 6-3, in the quarter-finals of the French Open.
The German confirmed his status as the Roland Garros favourite with a convincing straight-sets win over the Spanish youngster.
Recovering from an early break in the first set, Zverev eased into the semi-finals, where he will play either Joao Fonseca or Jakub Mensik.
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During TNT Sports’ post-match coverage, two-time French Open champion Jim Courier shared what he noticed about Zverev’s backhand during his quarter-final win.
Jim Courier says Alexander Zverev’s backhand speeds were ‘off the charts’ during his quarter-final win
Courier delivered his assessment of Zverev’s game.
“I think there is a balance for him. He is still trying to be a bit different from his normal standard of tennis,” said Courier.
“He has been trying to add speed to his forehand all season long and trying to add variety, taking a page out of Jannik Sinner’s book, especially on the backhand side, trying to do more drop shots and get to the net.
“Still, his pattern is to want to try and soak up the power in the rallies, but when he got that first set under his belt and felt comfortable, that’s when he started to unleash, and his backhand speeds were off the charts.
“He was up at 79mph, which is well above his usual speed of 75mph.”
Zverev’s backhand caused Jodar real problems in their French Open quarter-final, as did his serve.
“His first serve was awesome,” said Courier.
“It is always very good but he made even more first serves than usual today and they were closer to the line than we typically see with him.”
Alexander Zverev’s serving stats at the 2026 French Open
| Round | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| 1R vs Benjamin Bonzi | 5 | 1 | 65% | 67% | 79% |
| 2R vs Tomas Machac | 19 | 2 | 72% | 85% | 88% |
| 3R vs Quentin Halys (4 sets) | 6 | 7 | 67% | 71% | 75% |
| 4R vs Jesper De Jong | 4 | 2 | 76% | 81% | 72% |
| QF vs Rafael Jodar | 7 | 0 | 80% | 71% | 61% |
Zverev made 80% of his first serves against Jodar, his best performance of the tournament so far.
If he is going to win his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, he could do with two more excellent serving performances.
Who would Alexander Zverev rather play in the Roland Garros semi-final?
During his post-match interview, Zverev confirmed that he will watch Fonseca and Mensik’s quarter-final match from his hotel room.
But who would he rather face in the last four?
Alexander Zverev’s H2H records vs Joao Fonseca/Jakub Mensik
- Alexander Zverev (1-0) Joao Fonseca
- Alexander Zverev (1-0) Jakub Mensik
Zverev has played Fonseca and Mensik on clay this year, winning in three sets on both occasions.
He will walk onto the court as the favourite in either matchup, but would likely be more worried about the prospect of playing Fonseca.
Joao Fonseca at the 2026 French Open
- 1R [WIN] vs Luka Pavlovic, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2
- 2R [WIN] vs Dino Prizmic, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2
- 3R [WIN] vs Novak Djokovic, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
- 4R [WIN] vs Casper Ruud, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2
- QF vs Jakub Mensik
The Brazilian wonderkid knocked out the three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the third round, and then backed that up by beating two-time finalist Casper Ruud in the last 16.
At his best, Fonseca has the firepower to hurt anyone on tour, and he looks in great form this tournament.
With that being said, Zverev won’t want to underestimate Mensik.
The Czech star hasn’t received the same hype as his Brazilian counterpart, but it’s easy to forget that he’s already won a Masters 1000 title.
Mensik and Fonseca will play their semi-final on Tuesday, June 2, with the winner advancing to play Zverev in the semis on Thursday, June 4.
