Alexander Zverev jokes about becoming French to win over "hostile" French Open crowd

Alexander Zverev joked about becoming French for the remainder of the 2023 French Open in order to cultivate support from the passionate home crowd.

Zverev put in a dominant performance against Alex Molcan, winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round at the clay court Major for the seventh time in his nine appearances at the tournament. The German struck down 42 winners and broke Molcan's serve six time over the course of the match, winning in one hour and 58 minutes.

In his post-match interview, Zverev discussed the challenges of competing in front of the "hostile" French Open crowd. He joked about adopting a French persona for the next 10 days in order to win over the home crowd, which is famously passionate in their support of local favorites.

"It's not so nice to play when you guys are against us because it is very loud, it is very hostile. But maybe for the next 10 days I can become French and then we can all be happy when I'm here on court and we can enjoy the court here," Zverev said.

When prompted to say a few words in French, the 26-year-old thanked the cheering crowd.

"Merci beaucoup, Paris. That's all I can say," he said.

Alexander Zverev set to take on Frances Tiafoe in French Open 3R clash

Alexander Zverev through to the third round at the 2023 French Open

Alexander Zverev will be up against Frances Tiafoe in the third round of the French Open. Zverev enjoys a dominant head-to-head record against the American, having won six of their seven encounters on the tour. The German won their most recent clash in the 2021 Vienna final in straight sets.

Tiafoe had a slow start to his second round clash against Aslan Karatsev on Thursday, June 1, winning only three games in the first set. However, the Russian's performance faltered after leading 2-1 in the second set, allowing Tiafoe to win five of the next six games and level the match.

The American then saved two set points in the third set before dominating proceedings in the fourth to claim a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 victory, advancing to the third round in Paris for the first time in his career.

Alexander Zverev's record at the clay court Major stands at 25 wins and 7 losses with back-to-back semifinal finishes in 2021 and 2022. Frances Tiafoe, on the other hand, has a 3-7 win/loss record at Roland Garros, having suffered six first-round exits in his eight appearances.