Zverev shines in Paris
“I’ve never seen him much better”
June 2, 2026 – 11:49 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
After a strong performance, Alexander Zverev is in the semi-finals of the French Open – and is only two wins away from winning his first Grand Slam title.
Alexander Zverev ended his impressive show of power in the quarterfinals of the French Open with a perfect forehand. He then turned his thoughts to the two crucial stages of his title mission at the French Open: “I want to win the matches that lie ahead of me,” said the 29-year-old after underlining one thing against Spaniard Rafael Jódar on a rainy Paris afternoon: Germany’s number one is the top favorite to win Roland Garros.
After an overall strong performance and a 7:6 (7:3), 6:1, 6:3 against Jódar, Zverev is only two wins away from winning his first Grand Slam title. For the fifth time in the past six years, the Tokyo Olympic champion is in the top four at the Bois de Boulogne. And even if the path seems clear after the failure of the toughest competitors like Jannik Sinner and Novak Djoković, Zverev remains cool and focused.
Becker: “I’ve never seen him much better”
“I’m happy that I’m in the semi-finals, nothing more,” said Zverev, who didn’t go into a storm of celebration. But while the Hamburg resident exercised restraint, praise rained down on him from all directions.
“I’ve never seen him much better. That was incredibly great tennis,” enthused Eurosport expert Boris Becker, while Grandma Natalia cheered in the stands. However, Zverev seemed a bit surprised by the Spaniard’s style of play. “The way Jódar opens up the pitch, changes the tempo, plays long down the line – Zverev didn’t expect that,” said Becker.
Zverev, who had quietly failed in the quarterfinals last year against 24-time major winner Novak Djoković, only had problems against the Spaniard at the beginning of the game. After a significant increase in performance in the middle of the first set, he finally converted his first match point to victory after 2:25 hours of play.
On the way to the final, Zverev will now have to deal with another “young, wild one” in Paris. In the night session, which he wanted to watch in his hotel room “perhaps with a nice drink in my hand”, the 20-year-old Jakub Mensik from the Czech Republic beat the Brazilian Joao Fonseca, like Jódar 19, 6:4, 6:3, 7:6 (7:3), despite physical problems. In this form, Zverev is also clearly favored against Mensik.