Alexander Zverev vs. Rafael Jodar prediction: French Open odds, picks, best bets
One of the best features of Grand Slam tennis will be on display on Tuesday when World No.3 Alexander Zverev takes on teen sensation Rafael Jodar in the quarterfinals at the French Open.In what is being billed as the match of the tournament, we’ll see a clash of generations under the lights at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Zverev, 29, is the consensus “best of the rest” behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on the ATP Tour, but he’s yet to win his maiden Grand Slam.The German has come painfully close, having lost three finals (two in five sets) and seven semifinals.
Approaching 30, Zverev may not have too many more cracks at the cup.And he’s almost certainly not going to get a better chance than the one he has before him.With Sinner, Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic out of the picture in Paris, this is Zverev’s tournament to lose.
Prior to Monday’s action, Zverev was a +120 favorite to win the French Open, while Tennis Abstract’s model has his odds at 37.5 percent.The one wrench in all of this is that Zverev is in a tricky section of the draw and faces a stiff test from Jodar, a rising superstar and another Spaniard looking to carry on the tradition behind Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz.
Jodar burst onto the tennis scene in 2026.The native of Baeza started the season as the No.165 player in the world, but a sensational clay-court season has seen him vault all the way to No.
27.According to Tennis Abstract’s ELO model, he’s even higher at No.
7.Just like with Nadal and Alcaraz, Jodar’s prowess on the dirt has turned him into a headliner overnight.But there is something different about Jodar compared to his Spanish predecessors.
Unlike Nadal, who went 112-4 at Roland Garros by grinding opponents into dust, Jodar is a power-first player who can smash his way through you.He can do the grinding bit, but he’s also going to try to hit through you.
He’s not too dissimilar from Zverev, a toolsy player who can beat you in several ways.The only difference...