Australian Open: Alexander Zverev on a collision course with Rafael Nadal: "Must not forget him"
Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal are on a collision course at the Australian Open. In any case, the German will not underestimate the 20-time major winner in the event of a meeting despite an injury break.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jan 20, 2022, 04:14 pm
In the run-up to the Australian Open, on the obligatory Media Day, Alexander Zverev emphasized that Rafael Nadal should definitely be on the list for the first major of the year. Despite the COVID infection at the end of December and an injury break of several months for the exceptional Spanish player. The joint training session with the 20-time major champion left a lasting impression on Zverev.
Now, a few days later, this impression has solidified at Zverev. Especially since Nadal already brought quite pleasant tennis to the court in the first two rounds and had just as few problems against Marcos Giron as against Zverev's compatriot Yannick Hanfmann. The native of Hamburg has also presented himself flawlessly in the course of the tournament so far and is in round three without losing a set.
Zverev has Nadal on the slip
Slowly but surely, the thought of a possible clash between the two - that would be the case in a possible quarterfinals - seems to be taking shape with the German: "I firmly believe that Rafa Nadal will come back to play great tennis again," said the 24-year-old asked about his top favorites for the title in Melbourne after his victory over John Millman. "He's someone we can't forget about at this tournament."
First of all, however, it is important for the two of them to successfully master the next two hurdles. In the case of Nadal in particular, there is a possible stumbling block in round three, as Karen Khachanov is a man who has been in an excellent mood to play so far. Possible round of 16 opponent would be the Russian Aslan Karatsev. And Alexander Zverev? He has to get rid of Radu Albot and Denis Shapovalov (or Reilly Opelka) to make the dream quarter-final against Nadal perfect.
A quarter-final that would undoubtedly be under very special circumstances: Zverev is not only looking for his first title at Grand Slam level, the German has not yet been able to win a match against a top ten man on the biggest tennis stage . And Rafael Nadal, in turn, senses the chance of an open draw after Novak Djokovic's cancellation - and is aiming for only his second title in the "Happy Slam" ever.
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