Latest news with #Zverev
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Zverev arrives in Stuttgart, Struff wins
German tennis player Alexander Zverev arrives at the tennis facility at Weissenhof. Marijan Murat/dpa Alexander Zverev arrived in Stuttgart on Monday after his French Open disappointment, and will still have a few days to rest and train before starting at the grass court event. Zverev lost against Novak Djokovic in the Paris quarter-finals as his dream of a first grand slam title ended again. Advertisement There were concerns he may give Stuttgart a miss like in the past, including last year - when he reached the Paris final. He last played in Stuttgart in 2019. But the loss against Djokovic was on Wednesday and Zverev is not due to start until Thursday after a first-round bye. Stuttgart is one of the tune-up events for Wimbledon which starts on June 30. Another German, Jan-Lennard Struff, ended a series of early defeats, including a first-round exit in Paris, when he beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-6, 6-4 on the opening day of main draw action. Struff was a Stuttgart finalist in 2023 and got a wildcard for the latest edition.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Novak Djokovic frustrated Alexander Zverev with a trick everyone could see coming
As Novak Djokovic looked to close out victory over Alexander Zverev in the French Open quarter-finals, he went back to the tactic he had deployed throughout the night session match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Only this time Djokovic, playing against the increasing wind, brought it to another level. Even at 38, he could not remember a time where he had hit so many drop shots during a closing game. 'Just trying to mix it up,' Djokovic said. 'At one point, I felt like I couldn't go through him, so I tried to bring him to the net. I tried to risk it with the dropshot, serve and volley. It had to be done.' Advertisement Djokovic finished the 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 win against the third seed with 35 drop shots in total, consistently catching Zverev behind the baseline across the three-hour match. Djokovic also used the drop shot on some of the biggest points, saving Zverev's only break point in the fourth set to end a 41-shot rally. When it wasn't the drop shot, Djokovic was running through his other patterns, landing wide serves and drop volleys. An exasperated Zverev never got to grips with it and was punished for his deep positioning. Djokovic defeated Zverev to return to the French Open semis (REUTERS) 'What do you want me to say? He's won 24 of these things,' Zverev said. 'Yes, I expected him to be able to play like this. I have not seen him play like this this year yet. I think it was very, very high level from him.' By the end, Djokovic and Zverev followed a similar script and produced the same result. As Djokovic avenged his retirement against Zverev after losing the first set of their Australian Open semi-final, he also proved to himself that he is reaching the levels required to compete for a 25th grand slam title. Djokovic is now the second-oldest player to reach a Roland Garros semi-final, where he will play World No 1 Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster on Friday. Advertisement 'I think the win against [Carlos] Alcaraz in quarters of the Australian Open, in quarters against Zverev tonight proves to myself and others that I can still play on the highest level and I just thrive on these occasions,' Djokovic said. 'This is where I kind of lock in and really give my best. I just hope that I will be able to physically keep up, you know, with Sinner in a few days' time. It's a big challenge for me. It's only going to get tougher, but it's good. It is how it's supposed to be.' (Getty Images) While Djokovic had improved his form by winning his 100th title in Geneva and carrying his winning run into Roland Garros, the Serbian had yet to be tested on his return to Paris. Zverev is a physical player who could have dragged Djokovic into a lengthy and attritional contest. Their previous meeting came in the Australian Open semi-finals, when Djokovic retired after an 82-minute opening set having suffered a leg injury in his previous win over Alcaraz. The first set came down to Zverev's opening break of serve. Djokovic appeared distracted as he paused between serves on 30-30 and then pushed the forehand long. The break followed and proved decisive, with Zverev saving the only break point he faced by winning a 30-shot rally on 4-3. The German served extremely well, but as the conditions cooled it began to lose its efficiency. Advertisement Djokovic's level, though, was rising. With the first set behind him, he broke for the first time to lead 3-1 in the second, capitalising on a service game from the German that contained four groundstroke errors. The single break was enough for Djokovic to level the match, although he almost squandered three set points in the final game. Instead, he turned to the drop shot that landed delicately over the net. Djokovic went for 35 drop shots against Zverev, his most of the tournament (Getty Images) By then, everyone in Chatrier could see Djokovic's game-plan. But Zverev couldn't stop it and his efforts left him gesturing to his box. Djokovic broke to lead 3-2 in the third, beginning a run of six games in a row where the 38-year-old found another level, barely missing and directing Zverev around the court as if one string. 'I, at some point, felt like I didn't know how to win a point from the baseline against him,' Zverev said. By the time Zverev ended the run, Djokovic was a break up in the fourth, which would again be enough as he converted his fifth match point. A month ago, Djokovic contemplated facing a 'new reality' after falling to a third straight defeat and continuing his run of early exits at the Madrid Open. But going to Geneva to win his 100th title has helped his confidence and facing Sinner in the semi-finals is where he expects to be. 'Of course, semi-finals of a grand slam against the No 1 in the world. there is no bigger occasion for me,' Djokovic said. 'I'll try to do my best to step it up and perform as well as I did tonight.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Novak Djokovic frustrated Alexander Zverev with a trick everyone could see coming
As Novak Djokovic looked to close out victory over Alexander Zverev in the French Open quarter-finals, he went back to the tactic he had deployed throughout the night session match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Only this time Djokovic, playing against the increasing wind, brought it to another level. Even at 38, he could not remember a time where he had hit so many drop shots during a closing game. 'Just trying to mix it up,' Djokovic said. 'At one point, I felt like I couldn't go through him, so I tried to bring him to the net. I tried to risk it with the dropshot, serve and volley. It had to be done.' Advertisement Djokovic finished the 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 win against the third seed with 35 drop shots in total, consistently catching Zverev behind the baseline across the three-hour match. Djokovic also used the drop shot on some of the biggest points, saving Zverev's only break point in the fourth set to end a 41-shot rally. When it wasn't the drop shot, Djokovic was running through his other patterns, landing wide serves and drop volleys. An exasperated Zverev never got to grips with it and was punished for his deep positioning. Djokovic defeated Zverev to return to the French Open semis (REUTERS) 'What do you want me to say? He's won 24 of these things,' Zverev said. 'Yes, I expected him to be able to play like this. I have not seen him play like this this year yet. I think it was very, very high level from him.' By the end, Djokovic and Zverev followed a similar script and produced the same result. As Djokovic avenged his retirement against Zverev after losing the first set of their Australian Open semi-final, he also proved to himself that he is reaching the levels required to compete for a 25th grand slam title. Djokovic is now the second-oldest player to reach a Roland Garros semi-final, where he will play World No 1 Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster on Friday. Advertisement 'I think the win against [Carlos] Alcaraz in quarters of the Australian Open, in quarters against Zverev tonight proves to myself and others that I can still play on the highest level and I just thrive on these occasions,' Djokovic said. 'This is where I kind of lock in and really give my best. I just hope that I will be able to physically keep up, you know, with Sinner in a few days' time. It's a big challenge for me. It's only going to get tougher, but it's good. It is how it's supposed to be.' (Getty Images) While Djokovic had improved his form by winning his 100th title in Geneva and carrying his winning run into Roland Garros, the Serbian had yet to be tested on his return to Paris. Zverev is a physical player who could have dragged Djokovic into a lengthy and attritional contest. Their previous meeting came in the Australian Open semi-finals, when Djokovic retired after an 82-minute opening set having suffered a leg injury in his previous win over Alcaraz. The first set came down to Zverev's opening break of serve. Djokovic appeared distracted as he paused between serves on 30-30 and then pushed the forehand long. The break followed and proved decisive, with Zverev saving the only break point he faced by winning a 30-shot rally on 4-3. The German served extremely well, but as the conditions cooled it began to lose its efficiency. Advertisement Djokovic's level, though, was rising. With the first set behind him, he broke for the first time to lead 3-1 in the second, capitalising on a service game from the German that contained four groundstroke errors. The single break was enough for Djokovic to level the match, although he almost squandered three set points in the final game. Instead, he turned to the drop shot that landed delicately over the net. Djokovic went for 35 drop shots against Zverev, his most of the tournament (Getty Images) By then, everyone in Chatrier could see Djokovic's game-plan. But Zverev couldn't stop it and his efforts left him gesturing to his box. Djokovic broke to lead 3-2 in the third, beginning a run of six games in a row where the 38-year-old found another level, barely missing and directing Zverev around the court as if one string. 'I, at some point, felt like I didn't know how to win a point from the baseline against him,' Zverev said. By the time Zverev ended the run, Djokovic was a break up in the fourth, which would again be enough as he converted his fifth match point. A month ago, Djokovic contemplated facing a 'new reality' after falling to a third straight defeat and continuing his run of early exits at the Madrid Open. But going to Geneva to win his 100th title has helped his confidence and facing Sinner in the semi-finals is where he expects to be. 'Of course, semi-finals of a grand slam against the No 1 in the world. there is no bigger occasion for me,' Djokovic said. 'I'll try to do my best to step it up and perform as well as I did tonight.'
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Novak Djokovic can beat Jannik Sinner – despite not getting a break point against him in six sets
ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — Novak Djokovic has already done something borderline ridiculous at this French Open. He's made the semifinals of a second consecutive Grand Slam, this one as a 38-year-old. He's gotten here by pummelling opponents far younger than he is, dropping a single set in his five matches so far. On Wednesday, he beat Alexander Zverev, the current world No. 3 and last year's runner-up here, with a display of aggression, touch and dexterity. Advertisement It took him a set to find his feet after losing his serve in the opening game, but from there Djokovic conducted a surgical masterpiece, twisting Zverev this way and that, exhausting him into errors and taking out his legs to extract the power from his serve as night fell and it got harder and harder to generate pace on the ball. The borderline has been crossed. Now comes the ridiculous. If Djokovic wants to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, he must beat Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 who has won six straight sets against him without facing a break point, in their Friday semifinal. If he can somehow do that, he is likely to have to topple defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday — unless Lorenzo Musetti, who is having the best clay-court season of his career, can produce an upset earlier in the day. If that all somehow came to pass, Djokovic would have beaten the world No. 3, No. 1 and No. 2 in successive matches. No man has ever beaten the top three players in the sport en route to a Grand Slam title. There's no reason to think it might be possible over the next few days at Roland Garros, except one: it's Novak Djokovic. So here's why he can win — and feel free to get yourself a stiff drink before reading any further. It's important to explain why there is no reason to think it is possible other than the fact that this is Djokovic, because Sinner might well sweep him off the court tonight. The Italian has owned Djokovic on court for a year and a half. Their career head-to-head is 4-4, but Sinner has won the three most recent meetings and four out of five. His victory over Djokovic in the 2023 Davis Cup semifinals, a match where he saved three match points, was the catalyst for his run to the top of men's tennis. Sinner also beat him at the Australian Open two months later, on the way to his first Grand Slam title, and then did it again at the Shanghai Masters in October. Djokovic has arguably the best return of serve in tennis history. Only Andre Agassi's is comparable. Yet in those two matches last year against Sinner, Djokovic didn't earn a single break-point opportunity over the combined six sets, one of which he won in a tiebreak. At this tournament, Sinner has destroyed everyone he has played. He has met opponents who play like he does, but worse. They see they can't hit through him, so try to hit harder. It doesn't go well. This means that not only is he 15 years younger than Djokovic, he's also extremely well-rested. Sinner has only spent eight hours, 35 minutes on the court in his five matches. Djokovic is over 12 hours in his. Advertisement But that's the case for the defense. Here is why Djokovic can win, and it starts with the clay. Djokovic has won three titles here, which isn't many compared to his 10 in Melbourne or his seven at Wimbledon. But he had the bad luck of playing at the same time as Rafael Nadal, who won 14 French Open titles and essentially shut down Roland Garros for everybody else for the best part of his 20-year career. Djokovic has made the quarterfinals more often here than at any other major, and he beat Nadal on the way to two of those three titles. Sinner? He's never made the final in Paris. Clay is supposedly his worst surface, recent evidence notwithstanding. Alcaraz made him look like he was playing on an ice-rink in the second set of their final on clay in Rome last month, though a good chunk of that has to be attributed to a lack of match practice after his three-month anti-doping ban. The younger guy should also have the better legs and lungs, but there have long been questions about Sinner's endurance in five-set matches. He's just 6-9 in fifth sets and hasn't gone the distance in a match since Wimbledon last July. No one ever asks that question about Djokovic, at least not in about 15 years. Djokovic has done ridiculous things at Roland Garros against players two tennis generations younger as recently as last summer. In the Olympics gold-medal match, he beat Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) over three hours of the most scintillating tennis of the year. Alcaraz is better on clay than Sinner. Sinner's most potent weapons on the hard courts, where he has dominated Djokovic, are the velocity of his groundstrokes and the atomic action and laser-like precision of his serves. The clay slightly slows those balls, giving the Serbian a little more opportunity to get into points. There's only one form of tennis kryptonite that Sinner responds to: variety. Opponents have to move him, not just laterally but also vertically and diagonally. And they have to do it all match long. For about 45 minutes of their quarterfinal on Wednesday, Alexander Bublik caused Sinner some real problems, coming very close to stealing the second set. Advertisement How? 'He mixed up the game a little bit more,' Sinner said. 'Dropshots — amazing.' Nobody talks much about Djokovic's drop shots, which are some of the finest in the men's game, but Zverev is going to be seeing them in his sleep for a week. He chased down three from the back of the court during one 41-shot rally in the fourth set when he was pushing to draw even and push the match to a fifth. He had two, perhaps three, opportunities to hit an overhead and put the ball away. He couldn't do it. Bublik hit 37 drop shots in his four-set upset of Jack Draper, the world No. 5, in round four. Djokovic hit 32 against Zverev, including the side-spinner that got him to match point. Sinner himself has begun to hit a pretty good drop shot, which is especially effective inside-out on the forehand side, when he has an opponent pinned deep. It's just not as good as Djokovic's. So, Djokovic has to play like he did against Zverev, just even better, and do it for hours, on the clay, at night. Not exactly a small task, but Djokovic has been wearing a jacket this week with a small gold-coloured patch on it. It's a symbol of the gold medal he won here last summer — his little reminder that he can pull off the impossible.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Djokovic downs Zverev in FO quarters
Novak Djokovic fought back to beat Alexander Zverev in the last eight at Roland Garros. Photo: AFP Novak Djokovic said beating Alexander Zverev on Wednesday was a "testament" to his ability to compete at the highest level as the 38-year-old reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros to inch closer to a record 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic fought past third seed Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a gruelling night session duel, which captivated Court Philippe Chatrier over three-and-a-quarter hours. The 24-time Grand Slam winner moves on to face world number one Jannik Sinner in the last four, after the Italian earlier raced past the unseeded Alexander Bublik in straight sets. "Jannik is in tremendous form, and he has been the best player for the last couple of years," said Djokovic. "It's going to be of course semi-finals of a Grand Slam against the No. 1 in the world. There is no bigger occasion for me, so I'll try to do my best to step it up and perform as well as I did tonight. "I just hope that I will be able to physically keep up, you know, with Sinner in few days' time. It's a big challenge for me." On centre court, last year's runner-up Zverev roared out of the blocks with an immediate break of serve as he clinched the opener against Djokovic. It was the first time former world number one Djokovic has dropped a set at the French Open this year. 'Forget the age' Djokovic engineered himself a 3-1 lead in the second set after Zverev pushed a backhand long when serving at 30-40. The three-time Roland Garros champion then held firm through the rest of the frame to level the match as he started to punish the 1.98m-Zverev with drop-shots. The Serb sniffed out a break opportunity in game five of the third set and snaffled it, before again breaking the German as he took control of the encounter. Now on a high, Djokovic started the fourth by again pouncing on his opponent's usually reliable serve. He brought Chatrier to its feet when he whipped a cross-court forehand past Zverev to save break point in the sixth game at the end of an exchange that the 28-year-old looked certain to win on at least three occasions. Zverev appeared a defeated man when he eventually passed up that chance at a vital break-back with a netted forehand. Djokovic marched on and sealed his 101st win at the French Open, raising his arms aloft in triumph after finally converting match point at the fifth time of asking. "It was an amazing match," summarised Djokovic. "Obviously beating one of the best players in the world on the biggest stages is something that I definitely work for, and I still, you know, push myself on a daily basis at this age because of these kind of matches and these kind of experiences. "It's a proven kind of testament to myself that I can and to others that I can still play on the highest level." A poor run of form earlier in the season and his advancing years had some questioning whether Djokovic could still match his younger rivals. But he had a response for his doubters: "I think the win against (Carlos) Alcaraz in quarters of Australian Open (2025), to win quarters against Zverev tonight proves to myself and others that I can still play on the highest level, and I just thrive on these occasions." A sentiment echoed by Zverev. "I think at the moment he's a bit underrated, to be honest," Zverev said of Djokovic. "I think like a lot of people count him out already, but this year he's had wins over Carlos 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." Defeat at the quarter-final stage of the tournament in which he has reached at least the last four every year since 2021 brings an end to a disappointing clay-court season for Zverev. The three-time Grand Slam runner-up endured early exits at the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open, as well as in the last eight in Rome.
