Mischa Zverev explained what Alexander Zverev told him about the courts at the French Open.
The 36-year-old’s younger brother has endured a tumultuous campaign in Paris so far, which began by beating 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in the first round.
He also prevailed in two five set encounters and will next battle Alex de Minaur for a spot in the Roland Garros semi-finals.
The German has mastered the courts at clay court major so far this year, but it is proving to be a significant challenge.
What did Alexander Zverev say to Mischa Zverev about the French Open courts?
The elder Zverev brother appeared on Eurosport where the subject of the courts at Roland Garros were discussed.
The tournament conditions have grabbed most of the headlines due to the amount of rainfall in the French capital over the past week.
The former world number 25 commented on what his sibling said about the courts and how difficult they have been to play on times in the tournament.
“I can tell you that Sacha says it, when it gets dry it really becomes like a hard court with a little bit of powder on it. It becomes very slippery,” he said.
“Sometimes it really matters how you lean into the movement. If you lean too much forward and start running you just slip. So you need to be really precise with how much body weight you lean into the shot when you start running.”
Who did Alexander Zverev beat to reach the French Open quarter-finals?
Zverev had a tough test against Denmark’s Holger Rune in the last 16 of Roland Garros.
He found himself trailing the 21-year-old not once but twice as he lost sets one and three. But after clinching the fourth set tiebreak, there was no stopping the fourth seed.
He made just one unforced error in a near flawless fifth set to clinch a 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2 victory in just over four hours.
“I’m proud. I’m proud to be in the quarter-finals,” Zverev said post-match. “I’ve played a total of eight-and-a-half hours in the last three days, so I need to recover.
“I need to do everything possible to be ready for the quarter-final match, because obviously, the tournament doesn’t stop here, and I want to continue.”
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