After Novak Djokovic’s surprise exit, Alexander Zverev issues a chillingly confident message to rivals

Alexander Zverev has never been closer to breaking through for his first Grand Slam title, with the field in Paris opening up in a way that has put him right at the forefront.

After Jannik Sinner’s early exit from Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic was the next to fall, beaten by Joao Fonseca in a five-set thriller.

Carlos Alcaraz is also missing from this year’s draw due to injury, and with so many top names already out, Zverev has emerged as the new favourite. He now finds himself in a position where expectations have shifted heavily in his direction.

Zverev has had his chances before, reaching three Grand Slam finals without managing to get over the line. But he may not get another opportunity quite like this one.

With several contenders out of the picture early on, it’s hard to argue against this being his best shot yet at finally breaking through. Everything is lining up for him—now it’s just about whether he can take advantage.

Alexander Zverev comments after Novak Djokovic’s exit from Roland Garros

But Zverev is not counting his chickens just yet, and is solely focused on his next match against lucky loser Jesper de Jong. As per Tennis Actu TV, Zverev said: “I need to focus on the things that I can influence. These are my matches.

“As I said before, I’m playing Jesper de Jong next. He’s playing incredibly good tennis here, and that’s my focus. It reminds me a bit of the 2017 US Open when Andy Murray was injured. The top players all lost very early. I also lost early there myself, meaning I wasn’t really a part of the tournament.

“But yeah, let’s see. As I said before, I can only influence the things I can control, and those are my matches.”

Reacting to Djokovic’s loss, Zverev said: “It doesn’t change much. I would only have been able to play him in the semifinals, so first I have to get there, and I have to win my matches. It does not affect my next round, nor does it affect the round after that. I have to do my job.”

How Zverev’s path to the Roland Garros final could unfold

Zverev’s campaign in Paris has been solid so far, posting straight-set wins over Benjamin Bonzi and Tomas Machac, along with a four-set win against Quentin Halys.

Next up is De Jong, whom Zverev has already beaten twice at tour level, including their most recent encounter at the 2025 French Open.

If he gets through that one, he’ll go up against either Pablo Carreno Busta or rising 19-year-old Rafael Jodar in the quarterfinals.

The possible semi-final matchups include Jakub Mensik, Andrey Rublev, Joao Fonseca and Casper Ruud. Zverev’s most recent appearance in a Roland Garros final came in 2024, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.

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