By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) – Alexander Zverev may be closing in on an elusive maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open, but the German said on Tuesday that he would never trade his Olympic gold medal for one and called it the most difficult thing to win.
The second seed has capitalised on a Paris draw missing defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and hit by the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, to reach the semi-finals with a 7-6(3) 6-1 6-3 win over Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar.
While the 29-year-old now stands two wins away from a first major title after three runners-up finishes, Zverev said he had already won something that mattered more to him.
Asked if he would trade the gold medal he won at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago, Zverev said: “No chance. The gold medal for me is the most difficult thing to win, because you get a chance once every four years.
“It’s special in a way that there are so few people that have done it. I think you do it for your country. You do it for the people back home.
“I’ll never trade my gold medal for anything, but I wouldn’t mind to add a few things to my list as well.”
Standing between Zverev and a fourth appearance in a Grand Slam title clash will be either Brazilian 28th seed teenager Joao Fonseca or 26th-seeded Czech young gun Jakub Mensik, with that duo contesting their quarter-final later on Tuesday.
Zverev said he would watch that match from his hotel room but the overall focus would be on himself.
“Who do I prefer to play? I don’t care at all, to be honest. For me, it doesn’t matter,” Zverev said, adding that he only had to have faith in his game now.
“I have to trust my tennis and trust myself. If I play well, then I think that’s 99% of the work. I focus on the next match and I focus on the opponent as they cross the net and that’s the only thing I can control.
“If I win those matches, then that’s great.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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