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Zverev expects to face 'peak Rafa' at French Open
© afp.com/Anne-Christine POUJOULAT

Zverev expects to face 'peak Rafa' at French Open

Published by , Friday 05/24/24 18:06

Alexander Zverev says he is braced to face "peak Rafael Nadal" at the French Open on Monday when he could end the storied Roland Garros career of the 14-time champion.

Zverev, the world number four from Germany, has been handed the first round draw that nobody wanted as 22-time Grand Slam title winner Nadal prepares to play the tournament for the final time.

"In my mind, I'm going to play peak Rafa Nadal. That's what I expect him to be. I expect him to be at his absolute best," Zverev told reporters on Friday.

"I expect him to play the best tennis he's played in a long time on this court."

Nadal holds a 7-3 winning record over the in-form German, winning five of their six meetings on clay.

One of those came in Paris two years ago when Zverev was forced to retire from their semi-final after suffering an horrific ankle injury which kept him sidelined until January last year.

Zverev is still refinding his form after that injury and won his first Masters 1000 since 2021 last week at the Rome Open.

"He's going to finish his career probably before mine," said the 27-year-old Zverev of his Spanish rival who turns 38 on June 3.

"I really wanted to play him one more time because I didn't want my last memory to be me rolling off in a wheelchair off Court Philippe Chatrier. I really wanted to play him here."

He added: "I didn't want to play him in the first round. I wanted to play him in the semi-finals, final, a later stage of the tournament. But at the end of the day, he's not seeded, it is how it is, and I think we're both prepared for a tough battle."

Source: AFP

Latest comments comments
"Warns competition"? Lmao. Please tell me you're trolling with this headline. It remains painfully obvious that De Minaur simply isn't a Slam contender. Hell, Alex would need a plethora of injury luck just to win a single Masters 1000 event in his career.
LeylahsLegion77 LeylahsLegion77 il y a 45 minutes
Retire!!! Jeez!
ad6771 ad6771 il y a 4 heures
Too bad that the TOTAL counts.......beside many other "countings". :)
StAdam StAdam il y a 22 heures
Idemooooooooo GOAT
StAdam StAdam il y a 22 heures
EVERYONE "hopes" to win a medal... Rafa has no chance,neither does Novak. Those days are OVER.
Fred Phoesh Fred Phoesh il y a 1 jour
Sara Errani? She's as old as Nadal and like Nadal, lost a step or two. Interesting choice.
SH321 SH321 il y a 1 jour
Top des commentaires comments
Go Katie to defend your title!!
2 thumb_up
Kurapika K. Kurapika K.
Hopefully Katie 🇬🇧, has had time to recover from her semi final earlier today & will be able to successfully defend her title from 2023 & lift the trophy once more ✌️
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Aladdin Sane Aladdin Sane
Congrats & extremely well played Jack 🇬🇧, a good comeback after loss of 1st set, to seal the victory & collect your 1st ATP 250 title & trophy 👏 👏👌
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Aladdin Sane Aladdin Sane
Korda win
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Indian Tip Indian Tip
All you need to do to beat Pliskova is get her moving, back & forth, side to side. She is one lazy tennis player
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Pieface Pieface