This year’s French Open has been extremely brutal when it comes to upsets. Just after three rounds, the remaining men’s draw doesn’t consist of a single player who has won a Grand Slam. Top ATP seeds like Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev were knocked out in extreme shocks, as Carlos Alcaraz was absent from the tournament. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev is now the highest-ranked men’s player in the tournament and may as well be the favorite to win the major, as John McEnroe predicted the pressure piling on Zverev.

“No Alcaraz, no Sinner, no Djokovic. These guys are definitely the future and they may, to some extent, be the present. But nonetheless, it is there for the taking for Sascha (Zverev),” he said on TNT Sports.

The record-breaking heat coupled with the outbreak of exceptional talent has led to plenty of upsets so far. Sinner inexplicably collapsed from needing four points to win the match and exited in the second round against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Djokovic lost in the third-round against a 19-year-old Joao Fonseca despite leading by two sets in the third round. It paved the way for a new winner, and McEnroe believes it could signal something else for Zverev as well.

“Unbelievable pressure on him now. Absolute B.S. There’s more pressure on him in a way now than any tournament he’s ever played. The pressure is on more. Are you kidding me? We’ve talked about he’s the best player in men’s history never to win a major. And it was like, oh my god, how could he? He almost beat Carlos, but he didn’t. Sinner’s there and Djokovic. He doesn’t have to beat any of them. I’m telling you, he’s got to be feeling more pressure than any time in his entire career,” he added.

While this can be considered a golden opportunity for Zverev to clinch his first-ever Grand Slam title, his painful past can come to haunt him in the coming rounds. For context, the German has made it to three Grand Slam finals so far in his career but hasn’t been able to win any of them.

His first-ever final appearance at a major came in the 2020 US Open, where he was defeated by Dominic Thiem in a grueling five-set battle. Zverev had then made it to the final of the 2024 French Open but had come out on the losing side in a dramatic five-set clash against Alcaraz. The German also reached last year’s Australian Open final, where Sinner spoiled his bid with a straight-set victory.

Each loss deepened doubts about whether Zverev could ever break through at a major. He has been regarded as one of the best players to have never won a major for years now. However, Zverev will definitely be aiming to get rid of the tag by clinching the title at Roland Garros.

Zverev has cruised through four rounds, dropping just one set, a stark contrast to the chaos around him. Unlike the top seeds, Zverev has avoided early stumbles despite facing no ranked opponents yet. With Zverev having a strong 17-4 win-loss record in the clay swing so far, it is hard to argue against him being the favorite to win the French Open. But he can face his first real test of the tournament in the next round.

Zverev is set to take on Rafael Jodar in the quarterfinals. The latter is having his breakout season on the tour and is already up to No. 29 on the rankings after finishing at No. 168 last year. The 19-year-old has especially upped his game in the clay swing and currently has an exceptional win-loss record of 19-3.

Though the two have never faced each other in a tour-level match before, Zverev will still be the favorite to win the clash due to his experience and better ranking. Another reason behind this is that, unlike him, Jodar has had a rocky road to the quarterfinals. His previous two clashes against Alex Michelsen and Pablo Carreno Busta had been settled in five sets each. The Spaniard might not even be in his best shape heading into the quarterfinals.

Even though Zverev is continuously being described as the player to beat at the French Open, he doesn’t want to think too much about public opinion. The World No. 3 even delivered a blunt response to a reporter, who had asked whether he felt like the favorite to win the Grand Slam.

Alexander Zverev shuts down reporter over French Open favorite tag

“Why don’t you just give the answer, then?” Zverev asked the reporter with a smile during the press conference after his 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jesper De Jong.

Zverev is very well aware that he hasn’t reached the finish line yet and there is still a lot to play for. Instead of embracing the tag, he made it clear that he is totally focused on facing his next opponent.

“No, I’ll give the same answer I gave two days ago. I’ll focus on the matches that are ahead of me. This is the only thing I can control. I focused on de Jong; I played a good match. I’m going to focus on Jodar next,” he added.

While Zverev will be expected to make it past Jodar and move into the semis, he can’t make the mistake of underestimating the latter’s ability by any means. However, a first-ever grand slam for Zverev will finally see him build his legacy after years of near-misses.