Alexander Zverev has pushed back against critics who have written off Novak Djokovic, calling the legendary Serbian “underrated” following their intense quarter-final showdown at Roland Garros.
Djokovic put on an impressive display to defeat Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, securing a spot in the semi-finals of the French Open. Despite being seen by some as an unlikely contender for the title, the 38-year-old reminded everyone of his pedigree with a commanding performance.
Zverev, however, made it clear he never saw Djokovic as an outsider going into the tournament. “What do you want me to say? He’s won 24 of these things,” said the world No. 3 when asked if he expected Djokovic to perform at such a high level over three hours and 17 minutes.
“I expected him to play like this. I just hadn’t seen it this year until now. He was incredible today. When it was still warm, I felt I had chances. But once it cooled down, I struggled. At one point, I didn’t know how to win a point from the baseline. He had answers to everything.”
Despite a rocky start to 2024—losing opening matches at four events—Djokovic arrived in Paris off the back of his 100th career title win in Geneva. He was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open and reached the final at Wimbledon last year, with his last Grand Slam victory coming at the 2023 US Open.
Addressing the perception that Djokovic may be past his prime, Zverev was blunt: “I think he’s a bit underrated right now. A lot of people are counting him out. But he beat Alcaraz in Australia, now me here in Paris. Forget his age—those are impressive wins for anyone.
“Physically, you’d have to ask him how he’s feeling, especially after such a demanding match. But the fact is, he’s still taking down the best players. That deserves respect.”
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