Alexander Zverev has shared his thoughts ahead of his blockbuster quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic at the 2026 China Open.
The world No 2 dismantled 250th-ranked Chinese wildcard Shang Juncheng in the second round at the ATP 500 event in Beijing on Saturday.
Zverev is aiming to win his maiden China Open crown and third title of 2026 after his victories at the French Open and US Open.
The German will face 24-time Grand Slam winner and six-time China Open champion Djokovic in the last eight in Beijing.
Djokovic leads the head-to-head 9-5 and won the pair’s previous meeting in the quarter-finals of the 2025 French Open.
In his press conference after his second round win in Beijing, Zverev was asked about his showdown with Djokovic.
“Yeah, it’s exciting for me, for sure,” said Zverev.
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“It’s definitely a court that he absolutely loves and enjoys playing at. No question about it. He won, what, 31 matches here in a row.
“Still, I think best-of-three set, he’s going to be one of the toughest challenges you can have in this sport on a hard court.
“No question about it. He’s playing great. I look forward to this challenge. Yeah, look forward to tomorrow.”
The 29-year-old also played down concerns about fatigue heading into the final stretch of the season.
“My tank is fine. I’m not worried about that,” Zverev said.
“I said it before: I think this part of the season you’re tired because you’re mentally tired. When you have
something to play for, I will feel fine.
“I know that I’m capable of recovering. I know that I’m capable of playing good tennis. I have to trust my ability to do that.”
On the conditions against Shang, Zverev added: “Yeah, it was different ’cause I think the roof was closed. It really felt like an indoor. It was an indoor court. It was comfortable for me.
“But yeah, I expected a difficult match because I knew he’s very, very young, he’s got a lot of talent, a lot of potential. I know he was struggling with injuries the last couple of years, but we know he’s very dangerous.
“In the beginning, yeah, I was expecting a difficult match. I was ready to go from the first moment. For a set and a half, kind of what I did.
“Then I lost a little bit of focus because the match wasn’t really a match. But I’m definitely happy with the level.”
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