A match worthy of a final as Zverev takes on Djokovic in the Roland Garros quarters!
Today’s quarter-final clash between the number 3 seed Alexander Zverev and the number 6 seed Novak Djokovic promises to deliver a spectacle on court Philippe-Chatrier. By now, these two are well-versed with each other’s game, having already met 13 times prior to today.
The stakes are huge for this one, as the winner continues his quest towards glory. Djokovic is pursuing his 4th Roland Garros title and a record-extending 25th Grand Slam, while Zverev is looking to go one better from last year’s appearance in the final.
However, there is still time for that, and both players know they need to be on their A-game today to progress into the semi-finals, where the winner will meet either Jannik Sinner or Alexander Bublik.
The German number 3 seed takes to the court in this quarter-final on the back of some solid performances. He has dropped just one set during his second-round win over Jesper De Jong, but otherwise has looked to be in fine form with wins over Learner Tien and Flavio Cobolli in the first and third rounds.
In the fourth round, Zverev earned a walkover win after Tallon Griekspoor retired mid-match after being down a set and trailing 0-3 in the second. The German has just one title this year in Hamburg, but he has made some strong runs, including an appearance in the final at the Australian Open at the start of the year.
On clay, Zverev has hit 101 aces and has won 82% of his 221 service games, while converting 46% of his break points, and winning nearly 30% of his return games.
Three-time French Open Champion, Djokovic, looked out of sorts at times this year. He, too, has just one title, which he won at the Geneva Open just prior to Roland Garros. But the world number 6 has looked back to his best in Paris with straight set wins in all his matches thus far.
On clay this year, Djokovic has won an outstanding 86% of his service games, but has struggled while returning. He has converted 35% of his break points, but has won just 19% of his return games.
The German and the Serb will be meeting for the 14th time today as they continue to build their rivalry. Djokovic currently holds an 8-5 lead in their head-to-head, which started at the Rome Masters in 2017.
Their rivalry was evenly matched at 2-2 at the start, but the Serb went on a 4-game winning streak from 2019 to 2021, after which it has balanced out with Zverev winning the next 3 out of 5 matches.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Australian Open | Semifinal | Alexander Zverev | 7-6(5) RET |
| 2023 | ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati | Semifinal | Novak Djokovic | 7-6(5), 7-5 |
| 2021 | Nitto ATP Finals | Semifinal | Alexander Zverev | 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2021 | US Open | Semifinal | Novak Djokovic | 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 |
| 2021 | Tokyo Olympics | Semifinal | Alexander Zverev | 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2021 | ATP Cup | Round Robin | Novak Djokovic | 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5 |
| 2021 | Australian Open | Quarterfinal | Novak Djokovic | 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(6) |
| 2020 | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | Novak Djokovic | 6-3, 7-6(4) |
| 2019 | Roland Garros | Quarterfinal | Novak Djokovic | 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2018 | Nitto ATP Finals | Final | Alexander Zverev | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2018 | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | Novak Djokovic | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2018 | ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai | Semifinal | Novak Djokovic | 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2017 | ATP Masters 1000 Rome | Final | Alexander Zverev | 6-4, 6-3 |
Normally, with the resume that Zverev has, he would be miles ahead of other players in terms of achievement in tennis. However, at the other end is arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport.
Djokovic’s overall success dwarfs that of the German, but the 28-year-old German still has plenty of time on his hands, while time is the number one problem for Djokovic, who has won everything there is for him to win.
| Alexander Zverev | Category | Novak Djokovic |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ranking | 6 |
| 488-208 | Career W-L | 1140-229 |
| 25-10 | YTD W-L | 16-7 |
| 24 | Career Titles | 100 |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 24 |
| 1 | YTD Titles | 1 |
Picking a winner from this match is like tossing a coin and hoping you picked correctly. These two stalwarts of the game are well-balanced, and with both preferring the counter-punching game, their matches have been tightly contested affairs for the most part.
Having said that, there is no question that age is catching up with the Serb, and in an intense match like this, Zverev will probably hold the edge provided he plays to his potential.
Prediction: Zverev in five sets
This match is so close to call that even the betting odds are similarly stacked for both players. Djokovic will have to negate the German’s big serve, and both players will look to find every inch of space they can in order to gain the upper hand.
Alexander Zverev Win: 23/25
Novak Djokovic Win: 9/10
(According to BetMGM)
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