Zverev surrenders to Djokovic: "There came a moment where I didn't know how to win a point from the baseline"

Jose Morón | 5 Jun 2025 | 02.06

Zverev Surrenders to Djokovic: "There Came a Moment Where I Didn't Know How to Win a Point from the Backcourt."

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And to think that there were still people who thought Novak Djokovic wouldn't have a chance at this Roland Garros. Alexander Zverev experienced firsthand what this man, at 38 years old, is still capable of doing on a tennis court. The German could only hold on for one set against Nole, who shifted into high gear when the sun set and the cold Parisian night arrived.

In the press conference, Sascha expressed that Djokovic deserves respect as he keeps defeating the best players, and today he was taken aback by his level. It's clear that when he needs to, Novak steps up his game and is able to treat us to nights like this one.

Facing Djokovic

What can I say? He has won 24 of these titles. I expected him to play like this. I hadn't seen him play like this all year. I think he performed at a very, very high level. At some point, it was tough for me too. At the start of the match, the sun was still up and it was a bit hot. I felt I could harm him with my serve and hit some winners. Then, it became very cold, and I couldn't do much. There was a moment where I didn't know how to win a point from the baseline against him. It seemed like he had an answer to everything I did. He was better than me today.

Undervaluing Nole at his age

I would say yes, he is a bit undervalued. I think many people didn't consider him for this tournament, and this year he has defeated Carlos in the Australian Open and me here. Forget about his age. You'll have to ask him how he feels physically and how he will recover to know if he will be 100% in the next round, because I believe it was a very physically demanding match for both of us. Novak keeps beating the best players. He deserves respect.

Djokovic was reading my serves

I think that was also due to the conditions. It was very cold. My serving speed decreased. I struggled to find ways to control the rallies because he neutralized my serve very well. I also felt that when I pushed with my groundstrokes, it wasn't effective. It was challenging for me to find solutions in these very cold conditions.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev se rinde a Djokovic: "Llegó un momento donde no sabía cómo ganar un punto desde el fondo"