Djokovic has impressed at Roland-Garros this year and hasn’t dropped a set in his first four matches ahead of his battle with last year’s runner-up.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion endured a number of tough results prior to the French Open but is back playing his very best tennis in Paris.
Djokovic, seeded sixth at Roland-Garros, had no problem eliminating British star Cameron Norrie 6-2 6-3 6-2 in the fourth round on Monday.
But Wednesday’s showdown with third-seed Zverev is a much bigger test for the Serbian as he continues his quest for a historic 25th major trophy.
Before the quarter-final clash, Djokovic has jokingly accused Zverev of ‘spying’ on his straight-sets victory over Norrie on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Zverev uploaded a photo of himself on Instagram on Monday holding the Champions League trophy, with Djokovic playing Norrie in the background.
Djokovic commented as cited by Sports Central: ‘Tell the truth. You were there because you were spying on my game. Seeing the trophy was just an excuse [laughing emoji].’
French football club Paris Saint-Germain brought the Champions League trophy to Roland-Garros for a brief appearance this year after their historic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the 2025 final on Saturday night.
Zverev, a known football enthusiast, was keen to get a picture with the trophy and wrote on Instagram: ‘Didn’t expect to see you here @championsleague [trophy emoji] Congrats @psg [clapping emoji].’
Meanwhile, Zverev has rejected the idea that Djokovic is a dark horse at the French Open this year ahead of their quarter-final match on clay.
Djokovic has won three French Open titles – most recently in 2023 – but his game has always been better suited to the hard and grass courts.
The 38-year-old legend has also struggled with form for the majority of 2025 and is three places below Zverev in the current ATP world rankings.
Zverev, though, is still wary of Djokovic and told a press conference: ‘I mean, the guy [has] won 24 Grand Slams. He’s never going to be a dark horse. ‘He definitely knows what it means to be on the big stage and to play big matches. There is no doubt about that. ‘For me, Carlos [Alcaraz] is the favourite. I have said that before. Then I would say the next three in line are Jannik [Sinner], myself and Novak, right? ‘I still believe that. Novak is up there with us, no question about that at all.’
Heading into this year’s French Open, Djokovic insisted that he was not a ‘main favourite’ to land this year’s trophy.
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