Alexander Zverev believes Carlos Alcaraz will win the French Open multiple times but cut a relieved figure when sending the Spaniard packing this time around.
A tight match saw Alcaraz mounting a comeback after dropping the first two sets, but Zverev avoided the decider when winning a thrilling fourth-set tie-break 9-7.
“I was s***ing my pants,” a rather honest Zverev said on-court afterwards. “I knew I had to play my best tennis today from the start on. He kept coming back.”
On his words with Alcaraz at the net, Zverev added: “He’s an incredible player; I told him at the net that he will win this tournament a lot of times, not only once. I hope I can win it before he starts beating us all and we have no chance at all!”
‘One of the wins of his career’ – Watch Zverev clinch victory over Alcaraz
Zverev appeared relieved to avoid a fifth set, especially with Alcaraz seemingly in the ascendancy when the fourth set headed to a breaker.
Alcaraz did not break until the third set, and come the fourth he denied Zverev when the German was serving for the match at 5-4.
The tie-break swung both ways, but after Alcaraz missed out on a set point at 6-5 up, Zverev converted his second match point to clinch it 9-7.
“For me, when it’s shady and much slower it’s not perfect for me,” Zverev added. “I didn’t get broken once when it was sunny, it was much faster.
“I had to adjust my strings as well. The match was [going] his way. I’m glad I didn’t have to play a five-setter; I didn’t have to be disappointed after the five-set match again like I was last year after the semis. I’m still in the tournament. Usually I’m a very good talker, but right now I can’t talk.”
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Source: Euro Sports