Novak Djokovic 'most dangerous' at Grand Slams, but Boris Becker backs Alexander Zverev for victory in quarter-final showdown at Roland-Garros

TNT Sports expert Boris Becker is backing Alexander Zverev to beat Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the French Open, but says that Djokovic is at his "most dangerous" on the Grand Slam court. Djokovic is out for a 25th major title in his career, and takes on last year's defeated finalist in the last eight on Court Philippe-Chatrier in a mouth-watering night session, live on TNT Sports.

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TNT Sports expert Boris Becker says that Novak Djokovic is at his "most dangerous" when he plays at Grand Slams.

The Serbian is chasing a 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open, where he plays third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic, the three-time champion at Roland-Garros, takes on last year’s defeated finalist, but will not have Andy Murray in his corner after the pair ended their coaching experiment ahead of the year’s second major.

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Djokovic booked his place in the last eight with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the last 16.

Zverev got even more of a break, as his opponent Talon Griekspoor handed him a walkover midway through the second set of their fourth-round tie.

Now, the pair’s former coach, Becker, has previewed the mega clash, going as far as backing Zverev to come out on top.

"Djokovic is only still playing tennis because he wants to win Grand Slam tournaments," Becker said.

"The magical number of 25 is in the air, of course, which is why he's probably most dangerous at Grand Slams.

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"Sascha Zverev is perhaps physically the strongest player still competing. He loves long matches, he loves the challenges. But you win the big matches in your head and not in your legs.

"Roland-Garros is a very physical tournament where you have to push yourself to your physical limits for three to four hours. Zverev has an advantage over Djokovic in that respect.

"I would definitely favour Zverev. He's the younger and fitter player. Of course, you also need mental strength in the fifth set, but above all, you need air and fresh legs."

Becker believes that two generations will collide when Zverev and Djokovic face off, with the German representing the new era of men’s tennis, while Djokovic heralds from the ‘Big Four’ period, where he ruled the sport alongside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Murray.

"Djokovic comes from the generation of Federer and Nadal, where these mind games were sometimes decisive for a match," Becker added.

"The younger players like [Jannik] Sinner, [Carlos] Alcaraz and Zverev are a bit more relaxed about it. But Novak will do everything he can and mobilise all his resources to win this match."

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The German is down 8-5 in the pair’s head-to-head, with their most recent meeting ending in a win for Zverev in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where Djokovic was forced to retire mid-match after a muscle tear in his left leg.

"He likes playing against Djokovic and has beaten him many times - most recently at the Australian Open, however, due to an injury," Becker continued.

"Compared to Djokovic's record against almost all other players, Sascha is in a good position. He doesn't mind playing against the legend, but reality is on the court. I think it's 50-50.

"On paper, Sascha might be the slight favourite, but the matches have to be played first - and Djokovic will have a say in that."

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