A big-stage win over Nick Kyrgios is fuelling Alexander Zverev’s belief that he can finally shake the grand slam gorilla off his back and vie for French Open glory.

In one of tennis’s most puzzling anomalies, Zverev – the second seed behind odds-on title favourite Rafael Nadal – has never beaten a top-50 rival at a major.

Not that the German ace is fussed.

“No, because this year at Davis Cup I have beaten great players,” Zverev said.

“For me, that’s the same. Those matches are over five sets. They are exactly the same.

“I have beaten Kyrgios in Australia in a Davis Cup tie. Beaten (former French Open finalist David) Ferrer, beaten other great players.

“For me, this doesn’t matter. We all know I’m going to beat a top-50 player at some point in a grand slam.

“This is not something I worry about, to be honest.”

Rather than dwell over his poor grand slam record, and venture to the last 16 just once in 11 attempts, the 20-year-old is preferring to draw positives from another superb build-up for Paris.

He arrived at Roland Garros having won clay-court titles in Munich and Madrid, lost a thrilling three-set final last week in Rome to Nadal and also reached the semis in Monte Carlo and Acapulco.

“It’s obviously been a fantastic clay-court season for me,” Zverev said.

“Winning so many matches in a row, as well, over a period of Munich, Madrid and Rome was great coming in here.

“Obviously there is a lot of other great players playing here: Rafa, Novak (Djokovic) and everybody.

“They are all getting on top of their game. I think this is going to be a very interesting tournament.”

Zverev, who opens against Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, also offered some comforting words for luckless Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who lost in the second round of qualifying in his comeback from more than a month out with a knee injury.

Kokkinakis, who missed almost two full seasons of tennis before returning at last year’s French Open, was hurt in a freak on-court fall at the Monte Carlo Masters, his first event after conquering Roger Federer in Miami.

Zverev believes the 22-year-old belongs very much in the group of exciting young guns including Denis Shapovolov, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev trying to usher in the new era after tennis’s golden age of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

“Actually Kokkinakis, if he gets healthy, I think he’s one of the best ones in our group,” said the world No.3.

“But for him he gets a little bit unlucky like he did in Monte Carlo, I mean, falling over that backboard or whatever you call it and kind of having a crack in your knee is not – it’s just unlucky.

“Those situations happen with him quite a lot.”