Zverev, after marathon match, stands 'proud' in the French Open spotlight

Germany’s tennis star Alexander Zverev has stated that he is ‘proud’ of his effort after booking his place in the quarterfinal of the French Open.

The 27-year-old had a tough outing against Denmark’s Holger Rune in the round 16 clash at the Roland Garros where he eventually came out on top in five sets with a score of 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 on Monday.

Talking after the match, Zverev stated that he was proud of his performance on the court after playing more than eight hours in the last three days.

"Yeah, I'm proud. I'm proud to be in the quarterfinals,” he said. “I've played a total of eight and a half hours over the last three days. So, I need to recover. I need to do everything possible to be ready for the quarterfinal match because obviously, the tournament doesn't stop here and I want to continue."

The result has extended Zverev’s impressive form in the French Open where he will be eying his fourth consecutive semifinal spot when he will face Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the next round on Wednesday.

In the previous edition of the mega-event, the current world number four lost to Norway’s Casper Ruud in the last-four clash in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.

His opponent De Minaur produced an upset in his round of 16 clash when he defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.

It will be the 10th meeting between the two players. In the previous nine meetings, Zverev had a clear advantage with seven wins and two defeats.

Interestingly, it will be their only second meeting on a clay court and the first-ever in the French Open. Their previous meeting on clay came back in the Rome Open in 2022, where the German tennis star came out on top with a score of 6-3, 7-6.