French Open: How Dominic Thiem's loss almost cost Alexander Zverev

Thiem is a two-time finalist at Roland Garros and has made at least the quarterfinals in his last five appearances

Alexander Zverev admitted that Dominic Thiem's shock loss in the first round of the French Open affected his performance in his first round match on Sunday.

The German played countryman Oscar Otte in the first round at Roland Garros and it looked like he was going in a similar route as his potential quarterfinal opponent Thiem. The Austrian, who is a two-time French Open finalist, lost in five sets to veteran Pablo Andujar prior to Zverev's match on Sunday.

Zverev looked to be in trouble as he slipped to a two-set deficit against Otte and admitted after the game that Thiem's shock loss did play on his mind as he stepped on Court Suzanne Lenglen for his match.

"To be very honest, I think it did have a little impact on me at the beginning of the match, because yes, you try to focus on yourself, you try to not pay too much attention, but you do know the draw," Zverev said, as quoted on the ATP Tour website. "You know who is where. You know that Dominic is one of the best clay-court players, especially here, one of the toughest opponents you can have, and then he's out."

"So yes, it does affect you a little bit. But maybe that was part of the reason why I was a little bit nervous in the beginning [and why] I started off a little bit slow."

The German, who is seeded number six in Paris, admitted that Thiem did not give any signs that he was struggling with his game when they practiced on Saturday. But he acknowledged that match practice is vital to get better for a tournament, especially a Grand Slam.

Zverev, however, made sure that he did not suffer the same fate as his friend. The 2021 Madrid Masters winner stepped up his game before going on to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0. He credited his physical prowess after his win while admitting that he should not be relying on it all the time.

"I feel quite confident maybe in my physical stand. From that side maybe I know I can go the distance," Zverev said. "I don't always need to. I know that, as well, but when I need to, I feel comfortable doing that."

"All in all, I'm happy to be through," the world number six added. "At the end of the day, that's all that matters for me right now."