French Open: Djokovic still up there with the best, says Zverev
Three-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic is underrated at the age of 38 despite continuing to deliver world class performances, said Germany's Alexander Zverev after his quarterfinal loss to the Serbian on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old, a finalist last year, was attempting to become only the fourth man in the Open era to reach the French Open semifinals in five consecutive years, after Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Instead he bowed out of the tournament, having lost in four sets to Djokovic, who will play Italian world number one Jannik Sinner for a spot in Sunday's final.
"I think it was very, very high level from him," Zverev told a press conference. "It was at some point difficult for me."
"I, at some point, felt like I didn't know how to win a point from the baseline against him. I thought he was having solutions to a lot of things that I was doing."
Djokovic unusually played 35 drop shots in the game, forcing Zverev constantly to the net and mixing up his game to stop the German from pounding him from the baseline.
"I think at the moment he's a bit underrated, to be honest," Zverev said of the 38-year-old.
"I think like a lot of people count him out already, but this year he's had wins over Carlos (Alcaraz) at the Australian Open, he has had a win over me at the French Open."
"Forget the age. I think for any player, those are pretty good results. He is still beating the best of the best, so I think everybody needs to respect that."
Former world number one Djokovic is just two matches away from becoming the first player, male or female, to win 25 Grand Slam singles trophies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached back-to-back French Open finals after Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired with injury while trailing 4-6 7-6(3) 6-0 2-0 on Friday. Alcaraz, who is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. "It's never great to go through like this," Alcaraz said, before hailing Musetti's achievement of reaching at least the semi-finals of all four elite claycourt events this year. "He's a great player, he has had an incredible claycourt season...I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm sure we'll be enjoying his tennis pretty soon." Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to dish out a bagel in the third set. Musetti, who appeared to be hampered by a left thigh issue midway through the third set, threw in the towel after two games in the fourth. "The first two sets were tough. I had chances to be up in the match but couldn't make the most of them," Alcaraz added. "When I won the second set, I was relieved and I knew that I needed to be aggressive and be myself. I was calmer. I could see clearer and I could play great tennis at the start of the third. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final." Alcaraz said he would tune into the second semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier to study his potential opponents. "I'm not going to miss tonight's match, it's one of the best we can have right now, Sinner against Djokovic," he said. "I'm going to watch it and enjoy it and take tactics from the match."
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
Best photos of June 6: D-Day landings anniversary to Eid Al Adha
Yves Holbecq from the Somme Battlefield Pipe Band plays at sunrise to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings, on Gold Beach near Arromanches-les-Bains, Normandy, France. Getty Images
Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
The sixth edition of the European Film Festival in Mauritius: 5 dates, 5 locations, 10 films, 7 European Union (EU) Member States to celebrate Europe Day!
This sixth edition of the European Film Festival Mauritius, organised from 3 to 30 May 2025 to mark Europe Day and the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, featured films from seven EU Member States, various film genres as well as a ' clin d'oeil' to Mauritius-Europe collaboration in cinema. Freedom, resilience, solidarity and exchange were the key words of the Festival that has gathered 500 spectators in 5 locations of the island. Each screening had a specific theme, from Ukraine and German-speaking films to EU-Mauritius cooperation in cinema. The Ambassador, Oskar Benedikt stated : ' The European Film Festival aims to bring Europe closer to citizens through free screenings of films across Mauritius. Several evenings, several places, different themes.' The opening night took place in the magnificent garden of the Château de Labourdonnais with the screening of the Hungarian short film 'Under the volcano' and the visually stunning French feature film ' Le Règne Animal', selected in the ' Un Certain Regard Section ' of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The second screening was dedicated to Ukraine. Several members of the Ukrainian Association of Mauritius, wearing the traditional shirt (vyshyvanka), gathered to watch the Ukrainian short film 'It's a date' by Nadia Parfan and the Polish feature film 'Under the volcano' by Damian Kocur about a Ukrainian family stranded in Tenerife, Spain when Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine. While addressing the audience, Mr Marios Vitos, Head of Political, Press and Information Section at the EU Delegation stated that this 'special Ukraine' screening was a sign of our solidarity with Ukraine and its people. The President of the Ukrainian Association of Mauritius said : ' We are deeply grateful to the European Film Festival for dedicating a screening to Ukraine as an act of cultural solidarity. Seeing 'It's a Date' by Nadia Parfan included in the program, and especially 'Under the Volcano', which portrays the abrupt loss of home and normality experienced by a Ukrainian family, brought a meaningful feeling to our community: the feeling of being seen. At a time when the war in Ukraine risks fading into background noise for much of the world, creating space for Ukrainian stories – especially far from Europe – is powerful. It helps preserve memory, affirm identity, and remind us that behind every headline are human lives.' On the programme of the third outdoor screening, two German-speaking films including 'The Endlosen' (Germany, 2024), and a feature film 'Mermaids don't cry' (Austria, 2022) from the catalogue of the Goethe Institute-Institut français-Cineuropa Consortium. For the fourth screening at the Pointe Canon Open Air Theatre in Mahebourg - a small village on the South East coast of the island, an important historical and cultural place for Mauritians - the Festival put a focus on Mauritius-Europe cooperation in cinema with the short film 'Bann Vag Laliberte' by Mauritian film director Christopher Amurat and Spanish producer Javier Olivas and the Belgian feature film 'Mo'Zar, Mon Style' by Sebastien Peretti about Nolwenn, a Mauritian girl who joins Mo'zar Espace Artistic to learn piano. Two powerful stories with two young Mauritian main characters about resilience and hope. The screening was followed by a small concert by several students from Mo'zar Espace Artistic that provides musical training to children in Roche Bois, an impoverished suburb of the capital-city that has acquired a negative reputation. The final screening started with a short film 'Pie dan lo' by Mauritian film director Kim Yip Tong about the oil spill caused by the wreck of the Wakashio. Accompanied by her team, she gave a short presentation about their work and replied to questions from the audience concerning the techniques used to produce the 13-minute film depicting one of the most traumatic natural disasters in the country's history. The short film was followed by ' Angelo dans la forêt mystérieuse', an animation film for the young audience coproduced by France and Luxemburg. A number of organisations have supported the Festival including the Embassy of Austria in Kenya, the Institut français de Maurice, the Goethe Institute - Institut français - Cineuropa consortium as well as a number of local partners, in particular the Ministry of Arts and Culture and the Film Classification Board. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles.
