A week before the start of Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev added more fuel to the Parisian bonfire. He warmed up the Grand Slam on clay, already fired up by everything that is happening before stepping on the Parisian clay. He won his sixth Masters title when he beat first-time finalist Nicolas Jarry 6-4 7-5 in the Italian Open showpiece on Sunday
This was the second title in Rome for Zverev, having won his first in 2017 when he was 20, and his first trophy since he broke his ankle in the French Open semi-finals in 2022.
It has been a long, long time since there was so much uncertainty surrounding the event that the king of clay, Rafael Nadal, monopolized on fourteen occasions.
Nadal is expected to be in the French capital, although in very different conditions from other editions due to injuries in the last two years. He is not the only one that has issues, as the defending champion, Serbian Novak Djokovic, had a promising start to the season yet still has a challenge in hand.
Italian Jannik Sinner dominated the Australian Open, the best of 2024 until a hip injury has put a question mark on how he can reach Roland Garros. Carlos Alcaraz’s path seems clearer, after recovering from the double injury to his forearm, although he has only been able to play in the Madrid tournament as preparation. He has had to spend many days without touching the racket.
The 27-year-old Alexander Zverev will also climb to fourth place in the rankings as he slowly returns to his best form ahead of Roland Garros.
