Alexander Zverev is relishing his upcoming clash with Rafael Jodar in what is expected to be his toughest test yet at the French Open this year.
Zverev, who is the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, rallied to a 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1 win over Jasper de Jong in his fourth round match on Sunday. It is the sixth consecutive year he has reached the last eight at Roland Garros. A streak that has only been matched on the men’s Tour by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic since 1990.
Awaiting the German next is Spanish rising star Jodar, who has enjoyed a breakthrough past few weeks on the Tour and is on the verge of breaking into the top 20. A significant rise for the 19-year-old who was outside the top 700 this time last year. Making his main draw debut in Paris, Jodar battled back from two sets down to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta in his fourth round match.
“I watched him throughout the clay court season quite a bit. I didn’t watch him during this tournament because we were always playing the same day, and time-wise it was difficult to watch. But he’s somebody that can accelerate the ball from both sides, which is incredibly special.” Zverev said of his Spanish opponent.
“He’s a very aggressive player. He’s very young. He has tremendous talent. I’m looking forward to our first meeting together.”
Jodar has recorded 19 Tour-level wins on the clay so far this season, winning an ATP 250 in Morocco, reaching the semi-finals of an ATP 500 in Barcelona and the last eight of two Masters 1000 events. During this period, Zverev recorded 16 Tour-level wins on the surface with his best run before Roland Garros being runner-up in Madrid.
“It’s a fun time for any player when you’re first coming up because you have no pressure,” said Zvedrev, who won his first ATP title at the age of 19.
“You play freely. You experience all these big things for the first time. It’s a lot of fun to be in that position.”
Whilst he has high admiration for Jodar, Zverev is hoping his experience will give him the upper hand in their match on Tuesday. He is seeking his first Grand Slam trophy in a tournament that has been blown wide open with the exit of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, as well as the absence of Carlos Alcaraz.
“I have been at this level for 10 years and I know how to handle certain situations,” he said.
“But I think he’s (Jodar) amazing. He deserves a lot of credit. He’s playing amazing tennis. I’m looking forward to our first meeting,which is going to be hopefully an entertaining one.”
As for his form, the 29-year-old says he is ‘feeling confident’ with his game and has ‘handled situations’ well during the first week in Paris. Prior to beating de Jong, he also defeated Quentin Halys, Tomas Machac and Benjamin Bonzi.
