ATP Tour

Will Zverev stop Djokovic's pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title?

For the second time in as many Grand Slam tournaments, Alexander Zverev will meet Novak Djokovic deep into the fortnight — this time in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

After a close first-set tie-break in the Australian Open semi-finals, Djokovic sent the German through to the final by retiring with a muscle tear in his left leg. There are no injury concerns to speak of at Roland Garros, where Djokovic has cruised to the quarters without losing a set and Zverev has dropped just one.

Djokovic leads the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series 8-5, a record that includes a 1-1 split on clay. But they have not met on the surface since the 2019 Roland Garros semi-finals, when the Serbian won in straight sets.

"He was much better than me back then, I would say, especially at the Grand Slam level," recalled Zverev, who is now three spots above Djokovic in the PIF ATP Rankings at World No. 3.

"We played a lot of matches since then. We played at Grand Slams since then. We have had a lot of tough battles. I have had a lot of great wins against him. I have had a lot of tough losses against him. We have great history in our rivalry, I would say, but I'm looking forward to the match, and it's always a privilege to be on court with him."

Both players have excelled on all surfaces throughout their careers, with clay not a particular strength or weakness for either.

Zverev, whose game is built on his booming serve and his rock-solid backhand, figures to have the advantage in the longer rallies thanks to his youth. "He's 10 years younger. He calls himself a veteran of the game. What should I call myself, then?" Djokovic joked. But the Serbian has been dialled in with his all-around game and could succeed in moving the German around the expansive Court Philippe-Chatrier.

This man’s humour 😂😂😂 we love it#novakdjokovic #rolandgarros

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Roland Garros has been Zverev's most consistent Slam, with the returning finalist reaching at least the semi-finals in each of the past four years. Djokovic has won the tournament three times, most recently in 2023. The Serbian also won Olympic gold at the Paris venue last year, and enters the quarter-finals on a 21-match winning streak at the site. He withdrew ahead of last year's quarter-finals with a right-knee injury.

Despite suffering four first-round defeats in five events earlier this year, Djokovic has also reached the Miami ATP Masters 1000 final and won his 100th tour-level title in Geneva. When Zverev was asked if he considered his opponent an outsider in the Paris title hunt, the German was quick to set the record straight.

"Novak Djokovic will never be a [dark] horse," he said of the 24-time major champ. "For me, Carlos is the favourite. I have said that before. Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik [Sinner], myself, and Novak, right? I still believe that. I still believe on tennis and on experience Novak is up there with us, no question about that at all."

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Zverev's path to the title could go through all three of those elite opponents. While Alcaraz is on the other side of the draw, Sinner could await in the semi-finals if the Italian beats surprise package Alexander Bublik.

Sinner has been scintillating in his progress this fortnight, earning four dominant wins as he seeks his third consecutive Grand Slam crown. But the mercurial Bublik will have nothing to lose in his first Grand Slam quarter-final. The Kazakhstani has already knocked off two Top 10 players in Paris: Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper.

His power and unpredictability could make for an uncomfortable outing for Sinner, who is bidding for his first Roland Garros title and his first major trophy outside of his favoured hard courts.

Sinner leads the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-1, but this will be their first clash on clay. They have played twice on grass and twice on hard.