Alexander Zverev has come under fire from former WTA champion Pam Shriver for making “stupid” and “insensitive” comments after he sealed his spot in the last four of the French Open. The former world No 2 advanced to the semi-finals at Roland Garros for a third year running after defeating Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina in four sets with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Wednesday, but it was his comments off the court that created headlines once again.

After the match, Zverev was asked by interviewer Alex Corretja what was on his mind at the change of ends before serving for the win. And the German replied: “Yeah, I just have to remember that I have a pair of balls, as well, that I can use.”

Shriver, a 19-year veteran on the WTA Tour who won 21 WTA titles, was less than impressed with Zverev’s words and launched a scathing attack on the 27th seed with a rant on social media.

Replying to a tweet that shared Zverev’s quoted remark, Shriver wrote: “Stupid, insensitive, pathetic, tone deaf, idiotic, impulsive, ignorant, and disgusting thing to say. The Anti Role Model is SZ [Sascha Zverev].”

The 26-year-old is no stranger to controversy in his career and it is not the first time his words have caused a stir in press conferences. On Friday, he will be hoping to do his talking on the court as he faces Casper Ruud for a place in the Sunday’s showpiece event.

If he overcomes the No.4 seed, it would mark only his second appearance in a Grand Slam final – having lost out to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.

Zverev will be confident about his chances of defeating the Norwegian as he edges the head-to-head with two wins out of three meetings. This will be their first encounter on the clay surface in Paris, though, and last time the spoils belonged to Ruud who emerged successful in the quarter-final of the Miami Open in 2022.