Germany’s Alexander Zverev admitted he gave his all against Carlos Alcaraz after his five-set loss against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of Roland Garros. The German said Alcaraz played fantastically as he brought his A-game to the Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday.
Zverev was leading by two sets to one but felt he could not bring his best in the last two sets. In fact, the 27-year-old was trailing by 2-5 in the third set but won five games on the bounce.
“Look, he played fantastic. He played better than me the fourth and fifth set. It’s how it is,” Zverev said. “I felt like this Grand Slam final I did everything I could. At the US Open, I kind of gave it away myself. It’s a bit different.”
Zverev showered praise on Carlos Alcaraz for lifting his game in the fifth game and not giving him a chance.
“We’re both physically strong, but he’s a beast. He’s an animal, for sure. The intensity he plays tennis at is different to other people. He can do so many different things,” Zverev said. “I think he changed his tactic a lot in the fifth set, started to play a lot higher, a lot deeper for me to not create as much power. Especially with the shadows on the court, it was slower again. But he’s a fantastic player, and physically he’s fantastic.
“So I have to look at myself and I have to look at the team that I have and see what I can do to become the same level.”
Zverev, who is known for his brilliant serve, admitted he lost his power as the game progressed. Alcaraz won the match after four hours and 19 minutes.
“I lost focus, and on my serve I didn’t get the power from my legs anymore, which is weird, because normally I do not get tired. I don’t cramp, I don’t get tired normally,” Zverev said. “But again, against Carlos it’s a different intensity, so maybe that was the case a bit. Yeah, maybe I have to look at my preparation. Maybe I have to look at how I do things on a physical base as well.
“Of course, look, I felt from the tennis level I was playing decent and he was playing decent for three sets. Then I dropped a lot.”
Zverev will now take part in the Stuttgart Open.
