Alexander Zverev Admits Meeting Rafael Nadal for Guidance

Alexander Zverev has revealed that he took a much-needed break from tennis following Wimbledon earlier this year, admitting that he had been struggling mentally and was unable to enjoy his day-to-day life. The German star, who has been a consistent presence at the top of men’s tennis for the past decade but is still chasing his first Grand Slam title, described the period as hitting “another rock bottom” in his life.

After spending quality time with his family and friends to recharge, Zverev decided to take an unusual but purposeful step: visiting Rafael Nadal and his uncle Toni Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.

The goal was to gain fresh insight into his game and to discover what adjustments could help him finally break through at the sport’s biggest stages. Zverev openly acknowledged that despite his success, there are areas where his rivals are outpacing him.

 “I think there's certain parts of my game that Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik Sinner, for example, are doing better than me,” said Zverev at the US Open press conference.

“There are certain parts of my game that I'm doing better than them also. So, it's about finding ways to beat the best players in the world. It’s about finding the right patterns, finding the right training to do that,” he added.

He explained that Nadal, having faced him numerous times on the ATP Tour over the past decade, was uniquely positioned to give him constructive feedback. Nadal leads the head-to-head record 7-4, on the ATP tour against Zverev.