Dominic Thiem chimes in on whether former rival Alexander Zverev could win his first Major at Roland Garros
ATP
German tennis star Alexander Zverev has come painfully close to winning his first Grand Slam title on multiple occasions, and former foe Dominic Thiem believes this year's Roland Garros tournament may be where Zverev finally breaks through.
The World No.2 is coming off a title win at the BMW Munich Open, where he defeated American Ben Shelton in a one-sided final. Zverev has looked phenomenal over the past two weeks, carrying his form into the Madrid Open where he is set to face Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round on Sunday.
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Zverev is the favorite in Paris, says Thiem
The retired Austrian pro has faced Zverev on multiple occasions, with their most significant being at the 2020 US Open final. Thiem battled back from being two sets to love down to defeat his German foe, winning his only Major title.
Speaking on Zverev's chances to finally lift a Grand Slam title, Thiem believes the German is in the right frame of mind and could do so if he maintains his current form.
"It’s realistic for Sascha [to win] at every Grand Slam. He’s just so good,” said the former World No.3. “You saw that in Australia too. I think the slight dip in form he had afterwards is completely normal. Now in Munich he has recovered, just at the right time. There are still two cool, big tournaments to go before the French Open.
“He is also one of the absolute top favorites at the French Open with Alcaraz and Sinner. Everything has to go well for a Grand Slam, but if that happens, he’s absolutely capable of winning it."
“He is also one of the absolute top favorites at the French Open with Alcaraz and Sinner. Everything has to go well for a Grand Slam, but if that happens, he’s absolutely capable of winning it."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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