Alexander Zverev: I Am Expecting Peak Rafael Nadal Monday

When Alexander Zverev first found out he drew Rafael Nadal in the first round of the French Open, he thought it was a joke.

“I was on court with Rublev yesterday on Chatrier practicing,” Zverev said Friday. “Then after the practice was over — which was actually a great practice — my brother [Mischa] told me. I actually thought he’s joking in the beginning.”

“It is what it is. It is the way it is. Obviously, to be very honest, I wanted to play Rafa again in my career, in his career, because I didn’t want my last memory of me playing against Rafa to be me leaving the court on a wheelchair.”

Zverev will have that chance on Monday two years after that gruesome injury to the King of Clay in the semifinals.

“In my mind I’m going to play peak Rafa Nadal,” Zverev said brushing off the notion Nadal has lost a step. “That’s what I expect him to be. I expect him to be at his absolute best. I expect him to play the best tennis he’s played in a long time on this court.

“There’s always been discussion. I mean, 2022 I remember he came into Roland Garros not winning Monte-Carlo, not winning Madrid, not winning Rome. He came into this tournament, everybody was like, oh, he’s a big question mark, he’s this and that. He came and dominated the entire tournament.

“So in my mind I think he’s going to be peak Rafa Nadal. I think he’s going to be at his best, and that’s my mindset going into this match.”

Head-to-head, Nadal leads 7-3 in ten career meetings.

Zverev enters into the event off his second Rome Masters title which puts him among the top favorites for the title.

One side note, Zverev’s court case begins in Germany. His ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea, is seeking damages close to a half million dollars for domestic abuse. Zverev, who doesn’t have to appear in court, isn’t worried.

“Not at all. At the end of the day, I do believe in the German system,” Zverev said. “I do believe in the truth as well. I have to be certain that I do know what I did. I do know what I didn’t do.

“That’s at the end of the day what’s going to come out, and I have to trust in that.

“That’s why I can play calmly and I think my results have been showing it. Winning Rome I think is a big title, as well, and obviously being here. And if it would be on my mind I wouldn’t be playing the way I am.”

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