After defeating Nadal, Zverev keeps a cool head: "I'm going to start another tournament".
After Monday's emotions, Alexander Zverev must now move on. A brilliant first-round winner (6-3, 7-6, 6-3) over Rafael Nadal, the king of the French Open, the German has won just one match. It's easy to forget, however, given the magnitude of his performance: he toppled the king of the ochre in his own backyard, and with style. With his prodigious level of play, he has left an indelible mark on the world. But if he is to go all the way and live up to his new status as favourite, he still needs to win 6 consecutive matches.
Asked about the next stage of his Parisian career, the world No. 4 explained in his press conference that his tournament was only just beginning: "Everyone was rooting for him, chanting his name. It's only natural. He's won here 14 times. Everyone's wondering whether he'll be back or not. That was normal. I've got the feeling that now I'm going to start another tournament.
I was ready for this match. It was a final match, obviously. But, given the draw, it was only the first round. I think that since the draw was published, everyone around me and the whole tennis world was talking about this match. Now I know that I still have to play against several great players and I need to concentrate on that."
This "other tournament" begins for Zverev on Thursday, when he takes on a rediscovered David Goffin in the second round (Suzanne Lenglen, 3rd rotation).
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