“It doesn’t matter if Rafa wins, but if he does, it’s huge,” Alex Corretja backs Rafael Nadal to win against Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros round one

Corretja believes that whoever wins between Nadal and Zverev, will be the main favorite.

“It doesn’t matter if Rafa wins, but if he does, it’s huge,” Alex Corretja backs Rafael Nadal to win against Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros round one

Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal (Image via X)

Rafael Nadal is now the 276th ranked player and is unseeded at Roland Garros, where, in the first round, he is set to face Germany’s Alexander Zverev on May 26th. Zverev is one of the favorites in Paris but former Spanish player Alex Corretja believes his compatriot will secure the victory. 

Nadal has dominated on a clay surface like no other player, and at Roland Garros, he holds an astonishing 112-3 record. Even though the 37-year-old is going through a rough patch, Corretja is expecting him to beat the in-form Zverev. At the same time, the 50-year-old believes that whoever wins between Nadal and Zverev, will be the main favorite.

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It doesn’t matter if Rafa wins, but if he does, it’s huge. It would be very unexpected based on form, but nothing he does can surprise us considering how much success he has had here.
Alex Corretja told Eurosport

Zverev has arrived in Paris after clinching his second title in the Italian Open. As players like Nadal and Novak Djokovic are enduring a slump in form, and the two youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, recovered from injuries they suffered during the Madrid Open, Zverev along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are the favorites in Paris.

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Alex Corretja expecting something special from Rafael Nadal 

Since making his comeback, Rafael Nadal has dealt with defeats without making it to the quarterfinals of the three tournaments he played on clay. Whenever he was asked in the press conference about making his last possible appearance at Roland Garros, he straightway said everything depends on his fitness. 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

The event in Paris is an important one for Nadal as he lifted a record 14 titles, and while he has been dealing with fitness and form issues, Alex Corretja believes the King of Clay won’t be quiet when he walks onto the court to play against Alexander Zverev. 

For Rafa, it’ll be tough to play any opponent. The fact he needs to give 100% from round one is so different for him. He will give everything he possibly has. I’m expecting something very, very special.
Alex Corretja said 

Nadal faced Zverev 10 times, winning seven of those matches. Their last meeting was in the 2022 Roland Garros semifinal where the German suffered a harrowing ankle injury and retired mid-match. He is wishing for a different result when he plays the Spaniard on Sunday next week. 

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