Alexander Zverev on being coached by Toni, Rafa Nadal and what Grand Slam winning advice he got
For long, Zverev has been the No. 3 player in the world, trailing both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. But the 28-year-old has now enlisted the services of Toni Nadal to cross the Grand Slam barrier. Zverev trained with Nadal senior for a week and said that next year onwards would see him take a more active role. It was during that week that Rafa Nadal joined him for dinner and then on the court to help him out as well.
'I was so surprised. I had played Rafa for 10 years of my career and was going to have a nice dinner, just come there and be nice to me, but he was so into it, and he came on court with me and was showing me forehands, trying to improve. That day he came on court with me; I played my forehand like Ernest Gulbis to be honest because I was so nervous,' Zverev said on the Nothing Major podcast.
Zverev then said that one of the key bits of advice given by Rafa was that he needed to be a bit braver in the key moments of a match. Zverev has often been accused of being one-dimensional in a Grand Slam era of Sinner and Alcaraz.
'He told me during the week, I don't know how many times, that I need to be braver. He said I need to take it on myself in the most important moments. I know that as well, but hearing it from someone like him, said Zverev. 'I played him in some of the big matches; I played him at Roland Garros a few times and we had big matches. He always told me when you are aggressive, it's so difficult to hurt you because I could always move quite well, so I could find the aggressive game from difficult positions. But it is when I hold back that I become vulnerable; it's when I become more one-dimensional as well.'
'I don't have the serve and volley like my brother, or a good drop shot and slice like Novak. So, for me, when I become passive, that is when I am more hurtable for the top guys, and he always told me he truly believes, and I think I believe him, that he believes I can win a Grand Slam. He told me that a million times. But if I become more brave and take it on myself to do that.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Tauson upsets 2nd-seeded Wimbledon champion Swiatek to reach Montreal quarterfinals
MONTREAL: Clara Tauson of Denmark upset second-seeded Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-6 (1), 6-3 on Sunday night to reach the National Bank Open quarterfinals. The 6-foot Tauson, seeded 16th in the hard-court event that ends Thursday, avenged a loss to Swiatek at Wimbledon to set up a match Tuesday with sixth-seeded Australian Open winner Madison Keys of the United States. "I think, obviously, getting a win against her after losing to her in Wimbledon a couple of weeks ago is, obviously, nice, because I was not feeling great in that match, and I felt like I was playing some good tennis in Wimbledon," Tauson said. "So I felt like if I could keep that going, I thought I had a shot." Tauson won her lone tour title in New Zealand in January, beating fellow Montreal quarterfinalist Naomi Osaka of Japan in the final. Keys outlasted 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova of Czechia 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the windy afternoon session. "Clara's a fantastic ball-striker," Keys said about the quarterfinal match. "She's got a big serve. She's got a lot of power on both sides. She covers the court quite well on top of everything, so I feel like she's one of those matches where you kind of have to temper a little bit and not go for things too quickly." Osaka also advanced in the afternoon, routing Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-1, 6-0 in 49 minutes — the second-fastest victory of her career. Osaka had a 42-minute victory in a 2016 event in Brazil. Osaka reached the final eight of a WTA 1000 or Grand Slam event for the first time in 19 months. On Tuesday, she will face 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over fifth-seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States. On Monday night in the quarterfinals, 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain, and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine will meet ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Meet 12-year-old Yu Zidi: How China's swimming prodigy competed at Worlds despite age rules?
Twelve-year-old Chinese swimming sensation Yu Zidi made history at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, becoming the youngest medalist in the event's history. Yu, who began swimming at the age of 6, was part of China 's bronze medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay team, behind Australia and the United States. Although she didn't swim in the final race, Yu earned her medal by competing in the preliminary heats, helping secure China's place in the championship final. Her contribution was crucial, and under competition rules, relay swimmers who participate in qualifiers are eligible to receive medals. Yu's achievement marks the beginning of what could be a groundbreaking career. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Others MBA CXO Project Management Data Analytics others Data Science Design Thinking Management Finance Artificial Intelligence healthcare Product Management Degree PGDM Data Science Cybersecurity Leadership Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 months IIM Lucknow SEPO - IIML CHRO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 28 Weeks MICA CERT-MICA SBMPR Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details — ChinaDaily (@ChinaDaily) Questions raised over mental and physical toll on Yu However, Chinese schoolgirl Yu's historic feat has also sparked concern within the swimming community. Some experts and observers have raised questions about the mental and physical toll of exposing a 12-year-old to the pressures of elite-level training and international competition. Live Events At an age when she is still in the early stages of personal development, critics worry that such intense demands could have long-term effects on her well-being, both in and out of the pool. — WorldAquatics (@WorldAquatics) Christian Hansmann , sports director of German swimming, called her participation in Singapore 'questionable'. "Putting a girl of 12 in front of a world championship crowd of 5,000 spectators, with the high pressure from the media and the coaches, is far too early in my opinion," said Hansmann, who has children of a similar age, while talking to news agency AFP. World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki also acknowledged that the organisation was surprised a swimmer as young as Yu had met the qualifying standards. While Nowicki stated that World Aquatics is 'quite confident in our current safeguarding measures', he admitted that Yu's case could lead to a re-evaluation of the age eligibility rules, given the extraordinary nature of her qualification and the broader implications for athlete welfare. What's the age limit for World Championships? According to World Aquatics, the governing body for the sport, swimmers must generally be at least 14 years old to compete at senior-level events - unless they meet the stringent 'A' qualification standards, which effectively removes any hard age limit. How the young sensation Yu performed at Worlds Yu competed in four events at the World Aquatics Championships: the 200m butterfly , 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, and the 4x200m freestyle relay. She delivered standout performances in individual events, setting a personal best of 2:06.43 in the 200m butterfly, narrowly missing the podium by just 0.31 seconds to finish fourth. In the 200m individual medley, Yu again placed fourth, clocking 2:09.21 - a mere 0.06 seconds short of bronze. Her perseverance paid off in the 4x200m freestyle relay, where, despite only swimming in the heats, she played a key role in qualifying China for the final and earned a historic bronze medal, becoming the youngest medalist in the championship's history.
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Clara Tauson stuns Swiatek to enter Montreal WTA 1000 quarterfinals
Clara Tauson of Denmark upset second-seeded Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-6 (1), 6-3 to reach the National Bank Open quarterfinals. The 6-foot Tauson, seeded 16th in the hard-court event that ends Thursday, avenged a loss to Swiatek at Wimbledon to set up a match Tuesday with sixth-seeded Australian Open winner Madison Keys of the United States. I think, obviously, getting a win against her after losing to her in Wimbledon a couple of weeks ago is, obviously, nice, because I was not feeling great in that match, and I felt like I was playing some good tennis in Wimbledon, Tauson said. So I felt like if I could keep that going, I thought I had a shot. Tauson won her lone tour title in New Zealand in January, beating fellow Montreal quarterfinalist Naomi Osaka of Japan in the final. Keys outlasted 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova of Czechia 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the windy afternoon session. "Clara's a fantastic ball-striker, Keys said about the quarterfinal match. She's got a big serve. She's got a lot of power on both sides. She covers the court quite well on top of everything, so I feel like she's one of those matches where you kind of have to temper a little bit and not go for things too quickly. Osaka also advanced in the afternoon, routing Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-1, 6-0 in 49 minutes the second-fastest victory of her career. Osaka had a 42-minute victory in a 2016 event in Brazil. Osaka reached the final eight of a WTA 1000 or Grand Slam event for the first time in 19 months. On Tuesday, she will face 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over fifth-seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States. On Monday night in the quarterfinals, 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain, and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine will meet ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
