Alcaraz and Zverev have a head-to-head record of 6-6; so why is it certain that he will reach the final?

Unconsciously, Alcaraz and Zverev have already played 12 matches. The first two encounters were in 2021 when Alcaraz had just debuted, meeting in Vienna and Acapulco, where Zverev won straight sets both times. That year was also the peak period of Zverev’s career.

In 2022, Alcaraz made a strong comeback, carrying a few extra pounds of muscle gained during the off-season. That year's Madrid Masters marked the beginning of Alcaraz’s brilliant career. At the Madrid Masters, he defeated Nadal, who was returning from major surgery, in the quarterfinals, overcame a mentally and physically exhausted top seed Djokovic in the semifinals, and swept second seed Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in the final.

2021 Madrid Masters

2021 Madrid Masters

However, in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals, Zverev defeated Alcaraz 3-1 to advance to the semifinals. There, he suffered a severe injury against Nadal. Many believe that match was the most fully committed performance from Zverev!

Zverev and Alcaraz have met four times in Grand Slam tournaments:

2022 French Open quarterfinals, Zverev won 3-1;

2023 US Open quarterfinals, Alcaraz won 3-0;

2024 Australian Open quarterfinals, Zverev won 3-1;

2024 French Open final, Alcaraz won 3-2.

In terms of skill, Zverev is not intimidated by Alcaraz, but tactically and in terms of variation, Alcaraz holds a clear advantage. Some “minor tricks” become extremely effective weapons on the court in Alcaraz’s hands!

Mentally, Alcaraz is “I want to win, I must win, I will win!”;

while Zverev is “Can I win? Can I win? Will I lose?”

On court, Zverev seems to have a poor memory. In yesterday’s match against Lener-Chien, his opponent frequently dropped short balls, and only after conceding seven or eight points did he start to respond cautiously. Otherwise, the match wouldn’t have dragged into the fourth set and eventually a tiebreak.

In summary, the best pre-match preparation for Zverev is to build strong confidence and leverage his strengths. If he can elevate his three-point advantage to nine points, he will win!

Keep it up!

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