"He chokes when it really counts": Alexander Zverev ruled out of French Open title contention for one reason by Rennae Stubbs
ATP
Alexander Zverev lacks the bottle in order to be a real contender to win the French Open. That is the view point of ex-Serena Williams coach Rennae Stubbs who spoke on her podcast after he defeated Rafael Nadal in a highly publicised first round.
Stubbs lauded Nadal in particular and said that Nadal had a part of him where he wasn't quite ready to be a favourite but that he still has something there. Zverev is currently facing off against David Goffin. He won the opening set through a tie-break and he is ahead in the second as of time of writing.
But while Stubbs predicts him to get to the final, she sees the bottle going at the vital point for the German ace as he looks to seal a maiden major title with most of his rivals being those who have won titles before hand such as Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic. Some have emerged thus far with more credit than others in terms of their form.
"Rafael Nadal played so well, dude was up a break, serving for the second set. He was up a break in the third. I thought it was the best tennis without question that I have seen him play since his comeback from all these horrible injuries in the last couple of years," Stubbs said on her podcast.
"I think there was a part of him during the match, 'Wait, I still got something in me. I know I don't quite enough yet to be one of the favorites to win the French Open. I mean [Alexander] Zverev just won the tournament in Rome. He probably is,'" she added.
"I already said that. I think he [Zverev] can get to the final but I don't think he is gonna win cause he chokes when it really counts."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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