“He’s a beast,” Alexander Zverev heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz after losing to him in 2024 Roland Garros final

Zverev also identified the loophole in his game.

“He’s a beast,” Alexander Zverev heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz after losing to him in 2024 Roland Garros final

Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz after the 2024 Roland Garros final (Image via Imago)

German tennis ace Alexander Zverev missed out on a chance to lift his maiden Grand Slam title, yet again. However, things were different compared to when he made it to his first Grand Slam final. The 27-year-old himself admitted that he did everything possible this time but could not cross the line because his opponent was a “beast”.

After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller, Zverev heaped massive praise on the Spaniard for his elite mindset and athleticism. The German tennis star said that Alcaraz played better in the fourth and fifth set and deservingly won the match. Zverev also talked about Alcaraz’s physical strength and the intensity with the 21-year-old plays.

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He went on to call the Spaniard tennis ace an “animal”. Zverev also touched upon the tactical aspect of Alcaraz’s game and how the World No. 3 changed his strategy in the fifth set, not allowing the German to use his power.

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Look, he played fantastic. He played better than me the fourth and fifth set. It's how it is. 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. 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.
Alexander Zverev said about Carlos Alcaraz. (H/T: ATP Tour)

Alexander Zverev identified the loophole in his game that might have caused the defeat

After analyzing Carlos Alcaraz‘s strengths, Alexander Zverev talked about the problems he faced during the match. The German felt that his intensity dropped a bit after the third set. Zverev was also surprised to discover that he was unable to move as quickly as he normally does on the court.

Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev (Via Imago)

The 27-year-old cited the high intensity of the first few sets as the reason for the cramps and physical exhaustion he faced in the latter stage of the match. Zverev then pledged to improve his physical game so that he does not face such problems in the future. 

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. 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.
Alexander Zverev talked about his game in the post-match press conference.

Notably, after losing the first set 3-6, Zverev upped the ante and won the second and third set 6-2 and 7-5 respectively. However, he seemed to face a lot of difficulties in the next two sets as the German could win only three games after the third set. Eventually, it was another defeat in a Grand Slam final for the 27-year-old.

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