"Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently best clay-court player in the world" claims Alexander Zverev

Saturday, 07 May 2022 at 12:45

Updated at Wednesday, 13 November 2024 at 14:53

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byErik Virostko

Alexander Zverev will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals of the 2022 Madrid Open after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime, and he praised his upcoming opponent.

Tsitsipas defended his title at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, and at the Madrid Open, he can add the second ATP Masters 1000 title on clay this season.

Standing in his way will be Zverev, who outplayed Felix Auger-Aliassime in his quarter-final match to set up this semi-final blockbuster. Naturally, the German player was happy about the win, calling it his best match in the past few months.

"I think this was maybe the best match of the last few months from my side, except maybe the end a little bit. Throughout one-and-a-half sets I played good tennis and I hope I can continue playing this way."

"I couldn't put a serve in the court. I had chances to go up 5-1 in the second set and I think the match would have been over. But I didn't use my chances and he fought back well. But I kept fighting as well, and that's how I got the win."

Ahead of their highly-anticipated semi-final clash, Zverev said that despite the fact that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are back on the tennis courts, currently, the Greek is the toughest opponent to beat on the red clay.

"Rafa is on his way back and Novak is starting to gain momentum, but right now maybe he's the best clay-court player in the world. I think I need to play my best level to have a chance, but I'm looking forward to this match because in Monte Carlo he beat me quite easily. I hope I can change that."

Should Tsitsipas win this match, he could prove Zverev's words, as his final opponent might be Novak Djokovic. However, to get to the final, the Serbian player will need to overcome Carlos Alcaraz, who already eliminated Rafael Nadal from the tournament.