Zverev on Alcaraz: 'He played fantastic'

After Alexander Zverev lost a tough five-set match in the Roland Garros final on Sunday to Carlos Alcaraz, he was quick to praise his opponent.

“Look, he played fantastic. He played better than me the fourth and fifth set. It's how it is,” Zverev said. “I felt like this Grand Slam final I did everything I could. At the US Open I kind of gave it away myself. It's a bit different.”

The German reached his first major final at the 2020 US Open. Then 23, Zverev led Dominic Thiem by two sets and served for the championship in the fifth set before falling in a final-set tie-break.

This occasion was different. Alcaraz had an opportunity to serve for a two-sets-to-one lead before Zverev stormed back to seize the advantage.

Ultimately, it was the Spaniard who claimed the momentum in the fourth set and never relinquished it. Alcaraz is now 11-1 in five-set matches.

“We're both physically strong, but he's a beast. He's an animal, for sure. The intensity he plays tennis at is different to other people. He can do so many different things,” Zverev said. “I think he changed his tactic a lot in the fifth set, started to play a lot higher, a lot deeper for me to not create as much power. Especially with the shadows on the court, it was slower again. But he's a fantastic player, and physically he's fantastic.

“So I have to look at myself and I have to look at the team that I have and see what I can do to become the same level.”

Alcaraz earned four service breaks through the first three sets, with Zverev doing well to control play behind his big first serve. But the 21-year-old Spaniard broke serve five times in the final two sets to triumph after four hours and 19 minutes.

“I lost focus, and on my serve I didn't get the power from my legs anymore, which is weird, because normally I do not get tired. I don't cramp, I don't get tired normally,” Zverev said. “But again, against Carlos it's a different intensity, so maybe that was the case a bit. Yeah, maybe I have to look at my preparation. Maybe I have to look at how I do things on a physical base as well.

“Of course, look, I felt from the tennis level I was playing decent and he was playing decent for three sets. Then I dropped a lot.”