Alexander Zverev may insist that he does not “particularly care” about being the runaway favourite to win a maiden Grand Slam title, but the second seed will know the pressure lies squarely on his shoulders in Friday’s French Open semi-finals.
The German will face Czech youngster Jakub Mensik in the last four, with the winner of that match-up meeting either Flavio Cobolli or Matteo Arnaldi in the final.
Following the shock early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, Zverev finds himself the odds-on favourite to win Roland Garros and finally shake off the unwanted title of tennis’ nearly-man, after three painful runner-up finishes in Grand Slam finals.
The 2020 Olympic champion has cruised into the last four, dropping just one set en route, and looks in menacing form after needing less than two-and-a-half hours to see off rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar in the quarter-finals.
Despite being the oldest, highest-ranked and most-decorated player left in the tournament, Zverev has maintained that his sole focus is on his next matches, rather than any title talk.
“As I said before, I don’t particularly care (about being the favourite),” the 29-year-old told reporters.
“I focus on next match, and I focus on the opponent as they cross the net, and that’s the only thing that I can control.”
His next opponent, Mensik, is a first-time major semi-finalist. But the 20-year-old has already known success in his short career, beating Djokovic in the final to claim last year’s Miami Open title.
The 196cm tall Czech has done it the hard way to reach the last four, but his straight-sets win in the last eight against Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca showed just why he is considered one of the most promising young talents on the tour.