Alexander Zverev recently spoke about training with Rafael Nadal at the Spaniard’s tennis academy in Mallorca. After finishing his campaign at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, the World No. 3 traveled to Spain to train under Nadal and his uncle, Toni.
Zverev had a forgettable outing at this year’s London Major. He was the third seed at the Grand Slam and suffered an early exit, losing in the first round to Arthur Rinderknech with a scoreline of 6-7(3), 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-6(5), 4-6.
What Did Alexander Zverev Say About Training With Rafael Nadal at His Academy?
Recently, while speaking on the podcast ‘Nothing Major Show’ with John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson, Zverev revealed that after his Wimbledon run, he had sought advice from Novak Djokovic before training with Nadal and Toni.
The German described his time at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca as “unbelievable,” noting that the 22-time Grand Slam champion coached him with great “intensity,” similar to the “intensity” he played with.
“Before spending the week with Toni and Rafa, I would have probably said Novak because I had the most conversations with him. He kind of gave me a lot of advice. But spending the week in Mallorca, the intensity that Rafa played at, that’s the intensity he coaches at. Like, it was unbelievable. I’m so thankful for that,” Zverev said.
Zverev shared that he and Nadal often had late-night dinners, during which the Spaniard would occasionally stand up to demonstrate “swinging forehands” and suggest changes for Zverev’s game.
“Like he was unbelievable. We had dinners until like 01:00 a.m. 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 and stuff like that. Like it was unbelievable how into it he was,” he added.
Currently, Zverev is competing at the 2025 Canadian Open in Toronto, where he is the top seed. He began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He defeated Adam Walton in the first round, winning 7-6(6), 6-4.
The World No. 3 then secured his place in the quarterfinals by overcoming 32nd seed Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 and 14th seed Francisco Cerúndolo 6-4, 1-0 retd. In the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
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In addition to the singles competition, Zverev participated in the doubles event at the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament in Toronto. He teamed up with Marcelo Melo and lost in the first round against the sixth-seeded pair of Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, with a scoreline of 3-6, 4-6.
Who Will Alexander Zverev Face Next at the 2025 Canadian Open?
Following his victory over Cerúndolo in the fourth round of the 2025 Canadian Open, Zverev is set to face defending champion Alexei Popyrin in the tournament’s quarterfinals. The Aussie won last year by defeating Andrey Rublev in the final, claiming his first Masters 1000 title and his third overall ATP Tour title.
This year, Popyrin is seeded 18th at the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament in Toronto. He began his campaign in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round. In his opening match, he defeated Wild Card Nicolas Arseneault 7-6(7), 6-3.
The 25-year-old then secured a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 10th seed Daniil Medvedev in the third round and reached the quarterfinals by overcoming fifth seed Holger Rune with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round.
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Zverev and Popyrin have met three times on the ATP Tour, with the German winning all three encounters. Their most recent match took place in the third round of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Zverev triumphed 7-5, 6-3.
The winner of the quarterfinal match between Zverev and Popyrin at the 2025 Canadian Open will advance to face either 11th seed Karen Khachanov or 26th seed Alex Michelsen in the semifinals.
