Alexander Zverev Reveals One Major Advice Rafael Nadal Gave Him Before Arriving in Toronto for the Canadian Open

Alexander Zverev had dinner with Rafael Nadal while also spending time with Toni Nadal in Mallorca.

Alexander Zverev Reveals One Major Advice Rafael Nadal Gave Him Before Arriving in Toronto for the Canadian Open

Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal (via X/Eurosport)

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Alexander Zverev spent time training with Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni Nadal in Mallorca. Rumors of a potential partnership between Zverev and Toni grew during their time there, but the World No.3 revealed that there was no collaboration with the legendary coach. However, he had a good chat with the 22-time Grand Slam champion before leaving for Toronto.

Zverev had dinner with Rafael Nadal during his time at his Academy, while training for the North American hard-court swing. The 28-year-old revealed on the Nothing Major podcast that he also trained with Nadal and despite being 39, the Spaniard had still showed some level of intensity he displayed on the court during his days as a professional player:

It was unbelievable. We had dinner and I was so thankful for that, he was unbelievable, but we had dinners until 1 am together, and in the middle of dinner he would stand up and do swinging forehands and show me what technique he wants me to improve on. It was unbelievable how into it he was.

Zverev faced Nadal eleven times on the court, with the former winning just four of the encounters. He won their last meeting at the 2024 Roland Garros first round, defeating the 14-time champion in straight sets. However, the Spaniard won the most important clashes, including the 2022 French Open semi-finals and 2018 Italian Open final.

During the podcast, he added that Nadal has always advised him to be more aggressive on the court, especially in Grand Slam events. The former World No.2 added that each time he’s not aggressive on the court, he leaves himself vulnerable for his opponents to beat him in important matches:

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.

Zverev is still searching for his first Grand Slam of his career despite being in three finals. His last major final came at the Australian Open in January, where he lost to the World No.1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets. It was his second final in four Grand Slam tournaments, having lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 French Open.

Alexander Zverev’s 2025 season so far

Alexander Zverev has struggled on court this season. He began the year as World No.2 and held the position after finishing as a runner-up at the Australian Open. However, Jannik Sinner, who was World No.1, was suspended for three months for twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol.

Alexander Zverev Canadian Open 2025
Alexander Zverev (image via National Bank Open)

The 28-year-old was expected to topple Sinner during his absence from the court, but he failed to do so. He managed to reach one final during that time and that was at the Munich Open, where he defeated Ben Shelton to win the title. After that, he struggled to meet expectations on the court.

At the French Open, he couldn’t defend his 2024 runners-up points after losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. He then crashed out of the Wimbledon Championship in the opening round after losing in five sets to French star Arthur Rinderknech, despite being one of the favorites at the tournament.

He’s currently playing at the Canadian Open, where he’s the top seed in the absence of both Sinner and Alcaraz. He opened his account against Adam Walton and Matteo Arnaldi, beating both players. The German star will face Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round. The former World No.2 holds a 0-3 head-to-head record against the Argentine on tour.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Addresses ‘Trash Talk’ About Potential Friction With Jannik Sinner