When Rafael Nadal talks about the French Open, the tennis world listens very carefully. No player shaped Roland Garros as much as the Spaniard with his 14 titles at the Grand Slam tournament in Paris. Before the start of this year’s edition, the “clay court king” also commented on Alexander Zverev’s chances.
The Mallorcan believes the German can achieve a great triumph despite Jannik Sinner’s current dominance. In an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” Nadal made it clear that Zverev basically has everything he needs to finally win his first Grand Slam title: “He has to believe in himself and he has to play at his highest level to defeat a player like Jannik,” explained Nadal.
Above all, the Hamburger has to remain mentally stable. “Of course he has the talent. Above all, he has to manage himself well mentally,” said the 39-year-old, who can look back on winning 22 Grand Slam titles in his career.
Zverev has come close to the big coup in Paris several times in recent years. Nadal recalled that the German had already been “in finals and semi-finals” and had been “close to winning a few times.”
Nevertheless, Nadal also currently sees another player in front. For the Spaniard, Sinner is the “big favorite” for the title at Roland Garros. The reasons for this are obvious to him: “He has just won all the major tournaments on clay and five Masters tournaments in a row.”
Nadal has overcome his chronic foot pain
Carlos Alcaraz’s rejection further changes the balance of power. The defending champion has to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon due to a wrist injury.
In the interview, Nadal also spoke openly about his life after the end of his career. The long-time world-class player ended his career in October 2024 and was struggling with severe symptoms at the time.
He’s doing much better now. “I can enjoy my life, and that’s what I do,” said Nadal. His chronic foot pain in particular has noticeably diminished. “I’m just happy to wake up in the morning and not have a lot of pain,” admitted the best clay court player of all time.