Eurosport tennis expert Mischa Zverev thinks keeping Carlos Alcaraz behind the baseline could be the key for his brother Alexander Zverev.
On Sunday, Zverev saw off Barnabe Zapata Miralles in straight sets to set up a French Open quarterfinal versus Alcaraz.
Earlier this month, Zverev was crushed by Alcaraz in the Madrid final as the Spaniard won 6-3 6-1.
“His [Alcaraz’s] serve is getting faster and stronger every week. You can’t push him off the baseline,” Mischa Zverev said on Eurosport. “As long as he is standing in the court, he wins the point 95% of the time. Within the first two metres behind the baseline, he still wins two-thirds of the points. The only area where he has problems is when he is more than two metres behind the baseline. Sascha would have to place his shots quite long on Alcaraz’s forehand side, so that Alcaraz’s hitting point is further back. That way, he can push him out of the court and play the next shot with the forehand down the line or cross a backhand to the other half of the court. For Sascha that means: don’t attack immediately with the backhand, but play the forehand first, then the backhand.”
Zverev leads the head-to-head versus Alcaraz
Zverev and Alcaraz will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their respective careers when they meet in the French Open quarterfinal.
In 2021 February, Zverev saw off Alcaraz in straight sets when the two clashed in Acapulco.
In late 2021, Zverev overcame Alcaraz in straight sets in Vienna.
The third meeting between the two came earlier this month as Alcaraz clinched his first victory over the German.
Alcaraz absolutely dominated Zverev on the clay courts of Madrid and he will certainly enter their French Open meeting confident that he could deliver a similar performance.
Both Zverev and Alcaraz are aiming to win their first Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
It remains to be seen if Zverev can make amends for the loss he suffered in the Madrid final.