Decoding the stats of Alexander Zverev at French Open
Germany's Alexander Zverev will lock horns with Spanish ace Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the 2022 French Open on Friday. The 2020 US Open runner-up, Zverev would aim to reach his second major final. Although Zverev reached the Roland Garros semi-final last year, he had lost to his long-time rival Stefanos Tsitsipas. Here, we decode the stats of Zverev in the clay-court major.
Most wins for Zverev at a major
Zverev qualified for his maiden main draw at the French Open in 2016 (reached the third round). The German qualified for his first Roland Garros quarter-finals in 2018 where he lost to Dominic Thiem. Zverev staged a similar performance at next year's French Open (reached quarter-finals). He now has a win-loss record of 23-6 in the tournament, his most wins at a major.
How has Zverev fared in 2022 French Open?
Zverev defeated Sebastian Ofner in the first round of the ongoing French Open. The former then came from behind against Sebastian Baez, having lost the first two sets (2-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5). Zverev claimed victories over Brandon Nakashima and Bernabe Zapata Miralles thereafter. The German reached his second French Open semi-final after beating Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Zverev claimed his first win over a Top 10 player
Zverev humbled teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz 6-4,6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) in the quarter-finals of the French Open. It was his first win over a Top 10 in a Grand Slam. It extended his win-loss record at majors to 71-26.
Zverev is 15-4 on clay in 2022
Zverev boasts a win-loss record of 15-4 on clay in the ongoing season. Overall, he has pocketed 29 wins and nine losses. He is yet to grab hold of a title, having finished as the runner-up in Montpellier and Madrid. Of late, he was ousted in the semi-finals in Rome, failing to overcome eventual runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Head-to-head record: Zverev vs Nadal
Zverev will take on the King of Clay, Nadal, in the semi-finals. The Spaniard is in pursuit of his 14th Roland Garros title. Nadal has a 6-3 lead over Zverev in the ATP head-to-head series. The former won the last fixture between the two (Rome Masters). Zverev won the three encounters before that game. Interestingly, Zverev has beaten Nadal only once on clay.
Zverev could be the new world number one (ATP Rankings)
Zverev has an opportunity to surpass world number one Novak Djokovic in the ATP Rankings. If Zverev wins the French Open, he will become the 28th player to top the ATP Rankings. He is in contention to do so after Djokovic's loss to Nadal (quarter-finals).
