Zverev criticized organizers
“Alcaraz now has the night session twice (on Center Court, editor’s note) played and I expect a third time against me. I think it’s pretty obvious what direction this is going and who the tournament wants here.”Zverev had given to the French association.
Zverev’s concerns: so far he has mainly played on the second largest court “Suzanne Lenglen“played. Across Center Court”Philippe Chatrier” he says: “It’s like stepping onto another continent.”
Zverev was also concerned about his greatest weapon, the serve, which was easier to defuse in cold conditions in the evening because it was slower. The same applies to his forehand, which is already considered vulnerable.
Nadal has to switch to an unloved late appointment
All of these worries are now unfounded. Instead of Zverev, Alcaraz has to switch to the unfamiliar evening program. It remains to be seen whether this is an advantage for the German. There is currently no player who can generate more speed, shot hardness and topspin than Carlos Alcaraz. The warmer conditions shouldn’t be a disadvantage for him.
Novak Djokovic is most likely to feel really privileged from the quarter-final tableau on Monday. His opponent Rafael Nadal had repeatedly reiterated that he did not feel comfortable with the colder conditions in the evening, but now he has to compete against his archrival right there.
French Open: fight for appointments in the background
But in the scheduling discussions of those responsible, it is less about personal sensitivities than about the really big money at prime time. A streaming service has exclusive rights in France for the night session, while French television broadcasts the rest of the day.
There was hard fighting behind the scenes. In the end, those responsible managed to get a deal: the streaming service is now making the evening duel between Nadal and Djokovic available free of charge.
What Zverev pays attention to in the last training session
Regardless of all this, Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev worked on subtleties on three adjacent courts protected by high fences on Monday. Above all, Zverev trained the transition to the net after the serve and the first basic stroke and worked on his service for almost 30 minutes each from the start and advantage side.
He formed a kind of triangle with his father and coach Sergi Bruguera. He received small adjustments in Russian and English from both sides. Bruguera, himself a two-time French Open winner, has been in Zverev’s team since Miami in March. Communication with Zverev has improved a lot since then, it seems as if Zverev is now listening and trusting him more after an initial phase of getting to know each other.
The Spaniard did not want to speak publicly on Monday, referring to his other job as Davis Cup coach in the Spanish association before the duel against Alcaraz. Zverev himself said: “I’m ready. The motivation is there and I want to show good tennis and I hope that I can still improve and then not have these fluctuations in concentration. I can’t afford that against Alcaraz either.”