The right suitor?

Does Jodar have the abilities and enough energy to knock out Zverev and create another upset in this crazy Roland-Garros?

This Roland Garros is really exceptional and the seeded players are dropping like flies. Zverev is THE big favorite in this tournament, even more so with Ruud’s defeat against Fonseca. The German is trying to shake off the pressure he now has on his shoulders. He says he switches off his phone like he does at every Grand Slam, but I mostly get the feeling he’s going to do everything he can to look relaxed and laid back. But as we saw against De Jong, he’s tense and will be right until the end. That’s for sure. I have to admit I’m not at all convinced by his start to the tournament. I don’t see a dominant man and I feel like, up against the right opponent, he could get knocked out.

Is Jodar that opponent? Honestly, I would have said yes if the Spaniard were physically fresh and had a bit more experience. But I don’t think that’s the case for several reasons. The first is the format. We saw it again against Carreño Busta. He really struggles to win his matches in three sets. He’s still inconsistent. And his very risky game exposes him to swings in level. The second thing that makes me doubt him is the physical side. He’s already put in a lot in the early rounds, both mentally and physically. And even if he’s still capable of playing at a very high level for several sets, he has a huge challenge ahead of him and it’s quite hard to picture him winning this match.

It’s really a shame because in terms of tennis, I think he has all the qualities to unsettle Zverev, with an exceptional level of aggression that should bother the German and prevent him from feeling comfortable in the match. I also think that mentally he’s a really strong guy, but it’s still too hard to imagine him maintaining all that over three, four or five sets in a row against Zverev. There’s also the possibility that Zverev will be untouchable on his own serve and take advantage of the slightest dips from Jodar on the other side to win relatively comfortably.