The sport of tennis is discussed here. - Zverev struggles toward the quarterfinals at the French Open.
Alexander Zverev concluded his breathtaking five-set clash with a powerful overhead smash before giving the crowd a chance to cheer for him. The tennis prodigy can continue to chase his title aspirations at the French Open in Paris after securing a narrow win against Denmark's Holger Rune, 4:6, 6:1, 5:7, 7:6 (7:2), 6:2. This marks the fourth successive time Zverev has progressed to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament on a clay surface.
Following his determined triumph, Zverev shared, "Holger is an amazing player, an exceptional talent. I'm glad I managed to pull this through." The Hamburg native's incredible resilience was showcased once again as he battled in five sets for over four hours and 11 minutes. In the previous round, the German clawed his way past Dutch challenger Tallon Griekspoor.
Upcoming, Zverev faces Australian prospect Alex De Minaur on Wednesday. Before the match, Eurosport pundit Boris Becker - who coached Rune until February - spoke of the danger the young Dane posed. "Rune played unpredictably with frequent rhythm changes, which outfoxed Zverev during their only encounter on clay this year in Munich," Becker explained.
Zverev shook off his lackluster performance in the first set and elevated his service game in the second, eventually tying the sets at 1:1. As both stars struggled to gain an advantage, Becker exclaimed, "They're leaving everything on the court today. This is top-notch tennis!" Zverev seized control of the match, with Rune's hectic playstyle failing to pay dividends.
Djokovic's five-set saga
The tournament's schedule experienced another setback owing to Novak Djokovic's prolonged five-set battle on Court Philippe Chatrier. A whopping 4 hours and 39 minutes passed before Djokovic claimed victory over Argentina's underdog Francisco Cerundolo, with scores of 6:1, 5:7, 3:6, 7:5, 6:3. In a duplication of the same pattern in the previous round, the Serbian champion came back from a one-set deficit, this time limping on with a knee injury during the second set.
Late at night on Monday, a visibly drained Djokovic addressed the media: "I'm unsure if I'll be able to step on the court and compete tomorrow or the next day. I'll have to assess how I feel as both the adrenaline and painkillers will eventually wear off."
Next, the 37-year-old Serbian legend faces Norwegian finalist Casper Ruud, who downed American Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals with a resounding 7:6 (8:6), 3:6, 6:4, 6:2. (1)
