Alexander Zverev grew up idolizing Roger Federer and has always held him in high regard. He has expressed deep admiration for the latter a number of times and has even cited him as the greatest player of all time. Though Federer was known for his dominance on grass courts, he didn’t play badly on clay either. He had a way of dismantling his opponent’s game on the surface, and Zverev is very well aware of his methods.

When Zverev was asked if shot selection is an effective weapon on clay following his comfortable win over Rafael Jodar in the French Open quarterfinals, he instantly shared Federer’s example. He then explained how the 20-time Grand Slam champion used to leave his opponents confused through his wide range of immaculate shots.

“I think variety comes into play. I think that’s where Roger (Federer) was probably the best ever to change things up. And sometimes when he was playing incredibly well, you felt like you didn’t know how to play him after a couple of games and you felt like you didn’t know how to play tennis anymore because he was destroying your game. Because he could hit a forehand at 110 miles an hour, and then he could hit a drop shot at the next point. So, it was very confusing to play him,” Zverev said during the post-match press conference.

The 29-year-old also highlighted that power is what helps a player in using a variety of shots to his/her advantage rather than constantly relying on a single weapon.

“When you have natural power, other things become more easy to use. The drop shot becomes more easy to use because people back off. A kick serve becomes easier to use when you have a 140 in your shoulder. When you do it constantly and all the time, it’s not as effective,” he added.

Though Zverev had only started climbing up the ranks by the time Federer had reached the later stages of his career, the two had still met on seven occasions. Zverev was able to get the better of his childhood idol on four of those occasions and thus has a 4-3 lead on the H2H record. At the time, the German was seen as a player who would go on to achieve countless milestones and win a big number of Grand Slam titles. However, it won’t be wrong to say that those expectations haven’t turned into a reality so far.

Even though Zverev has 24 ATP singles titles under his belt and has also clinched Gold at the Tokyo Olympics, he still hasn’t been able to win a single Grand Slam title. Despite reaching the final on three occasions, he has always come out on the losing side.

Zverev has even been described by many as one of the best players to never win a major. But he now has a big chance to get rid of this tag at the ongoing French Open. He has marched his way into the semifinals with a one-sided 7-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Jodar. The German has only dropped one set in the five matches he has played so far and is now being considered as a heavy favorite to win the title.

Another reason why Zverev is being seen as the top contender at the French Open is because of the lack of competition. The World No. 3 has been the highest-ranked player present in the men’s draw since the second round. Majority of top 10 players had exited within the first three rounds of the tournament itself, leaving the men’s draw without even a single Grand Slam champion.

Several top seeds suffered early exits at the French Open

It won’t be wrong to say that this year’s French Open has been full of surprises. Major upsets have been caused since the first round itself, and a number of players have failed to live up to the expectations. The first top 10 men’s player to exit the tournament was Taylor Fritz, who was defeated by Nishesh Basavareddy in the opening round.

World No. 10, Alexander Bublik also bowed out in the first round after losing to Jan-Lennard Struff. Daniil Medvedev became the third notable player to suffer an upset as he was defeated by Adam Walton in five sets.

The second round saw Jannik Sinner’s 30-match winning streak come to an end. He was defeated by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in what was an incredible five-set contest. The Argentine went on to make a monumental comeback after being two sets down against the World No. 1. Ben Shelton was also eliminated in the second round after suffering a straight-set defeat to Raphael Collignon.

If this wasn’t all, then Novak Djokovic’s campaign at the French Open was brought to an end by Joao Fonseca in the third round. The 19-year-old came back from two sets down and recorded a spectacular win over the 24-time Grand Slam champion. World No. 7, Alex de Minaur also suffered a third-round exit at the hands of Jakub Mensik, who defeated the Australian in four sets.

Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are now the only top 10 players remaining in the men’s draw. The latter will have to defeat Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals in order to secure a place in the semis. Though Zverev and Auger-Aliassime are the ones expected to reach the French Open final, nothing can be taken for granted in this tournament and another upset can very well be on the cards in the remaining rounds.