We had dinners that lasted until 1 a.m.," Zverev shares anecdotes about his time at Nadal's academy
After his early exit in the first round of Wimbledon, Zverev decided to take a short break before heading to Mallorca. The German spent a few intense days at Rafael Nadal's academy and took the opportunity to receive advice from the Spaniard himself. Speaking on the *Nothing Major* podcast, he revealed some anecdotes from his Spanish stay.
"It was spectacular to see him on the court with me and so involved. I was very surprised, and I’ll never be able to thank him enough. Before meeting him like this, I would’ve said Djokovic would be the ideal coach for me if you gave me the choice among the Big 3, because he’s given me a lot of advice and we’ve had great conversations. But Rafa’s that week in Mallorca was…
We had dinners that lasted until 1 a.m., and in the middle of them, he’d get up to give me technical advice. I don’t know how many times he told me during that week that I needed to be more aggressive. I know I have to do it, but hearing it from him—someone I’ve played big matches against…
He told me that when I’m aggressive, it’s very hard to outplay me, but when I become passive, I’m vulnerable. I don’t have tools like great drop shots or slices, so I have to be aggressive. He told me a million times that he truly believes I can win a Grand Slam, but only if I’m more aggressive, especially in the big moments.
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