Novak Djokovic (6) vs Alexander Zverev (3): Wednesday 4 June, Court Philippe-Chatrier, not before 20:15
We have been here before. Many, many times before. This is the 14th time Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have stood toe-to-toe (Novak has won eight of those) and the story of their rivalry is full of tears and dreams, heartbreak and history.
The two men are actually good friends despite having had to fight over some of the biggest prizes in the sport. Zverev is desperate to win his first Grand Slam trophy (he has been in three finals including here last year); Djokovic is desperate to cement his place as the greatest of the greats by claiming a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Over the years, Zverev has broken Novak’s heart: he beat him in the Tokyo Olympic semi-final as the Serb was chasing the Golden Slam. Djokovic returned the favour by beating Zverev in five sets in the US Open semi-finals a few weeks later. This year, the German was pushing Novak and his torn hamstring beyond the pain barrier in Australia in January when the Serb had to retire: another Slam gone, another chance to claim that elusive 25th title had slipped away. He looked tight-lipped and grim.
For all that Zverev has the utmost respect for his friend and says “obviously Novak is still Novak, when he's fit and healthy and motivated, he's still the greatest of all time”, he believes that now he, Zverev, stands above Novak in the pecking order. The 38-year-old former champion is clearly a contender for the title here but there are others standing ahead of him.
“For me, Carlos is the favourite,” Zverev said. “I have said that before. Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik, myself, and Novak.
“I think tennis on clay is the most physical that we have. And of course best-of-five sets is even more physical. I always felt confident in my physical abilities. So I think winning two sets against me is a lot easier than winning three sets against me.”
The only flaw in this argument is that Djokovic usually manages to win those three sets. They have met four times before at Grand Slams, including here, and apart from their injury-affected meeting in January, Djokovic has won them all. If Zverev is hard to break down, Novak is all but impossible.
In his pomp, he can be the human backboard: any ball sent in his general direction comes back with venom and cunning. Playing the mighty champion is not just physically exhausting, it can be soul destroying.
The big question is whether Novak is in his pomp. He has barely been tested yet but all he knows is that Zverev will make him work. He always does.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
©Loïc Wacziak / FFT