Alexander Zverev has admitted that the pressure of suddenly being the man to beat at the French Open left him far less calm than he appeared.

With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and Jannik Sinner knocked out in the second round, the world No 3 found himself installed as the favourite in Paris. On the surface, Zverev kept his composure. In private, he says the reality was very different.

The German has long carried the burden of not having won a Grand Slam title, a storyline that only sharpened as the Big Three era faded and Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner emerged as the new standard-bearers. For a stretch, it looked as though Zverev might again be left behind by the sport’s biggest prizes. Instead, the draw opened up in his favour, and he now admits he was not nearly as relaxed as he pretended.

“I was s***ting my pants for two weeks,” he joked with Andy Roddick on his Served podcast. “Sorry for the language.

“But no, it’s the truth. I mean, every single day in the press conference, somebody was asking me about it, and like, what do you expect me to say? I was like, you expect me to say yes? I’m nervous. I can’t sleep at night. I’m not eating.

“I was like, no, it doesn’t affect me. It’s, it’s fine. It’s just another tournament. Don’t win the French Open, probably kill myself. It’s the worst thing that could happen.

“So I was lying to everyone. I was lying to myself as well.”

Zverev also said Roddick had already spoken to him last year about handling that kind of expectation, drawing from his own experience of dealing with the late-career presence of Rafa and Roger.

“We had a phone call for about probably an hour and a half in in December, where I talked to you about you being in a similar position where the only difference was you won the U.S. Open early on in your career, but you were in a similar position with obviously Rafa and and Roger throughout the later stage of your career.

“I was like, how do you deal with it? What do you do? How do you try to wait for your chances? And there was a clear path for me in my game. What I needed to improve to win a Grand Slam. There was a clear path for me be able to compete with those guys and beat them eventually.

“Of course I’m very happy that I did it at the French Open because, of course, at my age, I’m 29 years old. You don’t know if you’re ever going to get a chance again. You don’t know if you’re ever going to do it, and I’m happy that I did it.”

Roger Federer has spoken openly about the final chapters of his career, offering a rare look at both what he would still consider and what he does not see in his immediate future, just before his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The Swiss great is due to join Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova in the Hall on August 29, almost four years after bringing his playing career to a close. Ahead of that ceremony, Federer returned to the US Open for Fan Week, taking part in a singles exhibition against former rival Andy Roddick and later appearing in doubles with John McEnroe. It marked his first visit to New York since 2019, when he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set quarter-final.

Federer was warmly received at his press conference, where he addressed both his post-retirement possibilities and the one area of his career that still carries some disappointment.

On the subject of coaching, he made clear that nothing is imminent, but he did not rule out a future role in the Laver Cup. “I guess with Laver Cup down the road maybe the captain role is definitely something I could consider, for sure,” he said.

He was much less committed when asked about coaching on the ATP Tour. “Coaching at the minute, no, just because I’m too busy, and kids need my undivided attention. Plus, I have too many projects. I love my time and my life with my wife, so I don’t want to change that at the minute, but never say never.”

Federer also explained why the road required for full-time coaching makes the idea less practical for now, while leaving the door slightly open to other media work in the future.

As for regrets, Federer pointed to missed Olympic chances after London. “Yeah, I mean, I definitely have some not regrets, but it’s a pity I couldn’t play anymore Olympics after London. London was my last one,” he said.

He added that Sydney remains the event he feels he perhaps missed most, saying it would have been meaningful to win a medal for Switzerland there. Even so, he stressed that his Olympic journey still felt complete after winning gold with Stan.

Roger Federer called Rafael Jodar’s rapid climb “incredible” while discussing the ATP players he likes to watch as the 2026 US Open approaches.

Jodar, who began the year at world No 165, is now ranked No 13 and briefly climbed as high as No 11 earlier this month. His progress has been built on a strong stretch that started with his first ATP Tour title in Marrakech, and he has since won 21 of his last 29 matches since late March.

Speaking to ESPN, Federer was asked to identify players he enjoys watching apart from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

“I mean, I think Jodar’s rise has been pretty incredible,” said the Swiss icon.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that a few months ago, and think nobody really did. So, I think the way he is able to maintain his level is incredible.

“I like Ben [Shelton], I like watching Ben, and also [Joao] Fonseca. Big hitters, and also shot-makers. Big personalities, as well. So, they’re cool.”

Federer also said he was pleased to see Zverev win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open.

“I was happy for Zverev winning the French Open, also,” said the former world No 1.

“Personally, I know him since he’s a boy, and coming up on tour and stuff, so that was a nice win for him.

“So, I think — interesting US Open. I don’t know who’s going to be the big favourite this tournament, but I like that it’s a bit more open than we have seen in the past.”

On Tuesday, Federer beat Andy Roddick in a singles set at Arthur Ashe Stadium before joining John McEnroe for an exhibition doubles match against Roddick and Andre Agassi.

He is due to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday, one day before the main draw begins at the 2026 US Open.

In a press conference at Flushing Meadows, Federer was also asked which current players he would most like to face.

“In today’s game, yeah. Well, I mean, maybe Carlos. I think he’s exciting. I never got a chance to play against him or Sinner the same,” said Federer.

“You know, we only practised together a little bit as they were coming up. So I missed that generation, unfortunately, a little bit. And there’s a bunch of those guys I just missed just because of my knee issues.

“Obviously, Novak [Djokovic] would be cool, too. I mean, he’s still going strong and he’s still hanging in there, which is cool. So I’m thinking mostly about, obviously, those guys.”