Alexander Zverev grew up idolizing Roger Federer and has always held him in high regard. He has expressed deep admiration for the latter and has even cited him as the greatest player of all time. The German once again sang Federer’s praises as he advanced to the French Open semis by defeating Rafael Jodar 7-6, 6-1, 6-3.

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, and Zverev is very well aware of how he did it. When asked if shot selection is an effective weapon on clay, Zverev instantly shared Federer’s example and explained how he used to confuse his opponents through his 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 helps a player in using a variety of shots to his/her advantage rather than 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.

This is a developing story…