Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev start preparing the clay court
Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev have started preparing for the European clay court season these days. For both, the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo will be the first location determination on ashes.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Mar 29, 2019, 07:50 am
Nadal, who had to cancel for the hard court tournament in Miami due to a knee injury, is preparing for the clay court season at home in Mallorca. For the Spaniard, the event in Monte Carlo marks the start of the most important phase of the season for him. The 32 year old is not considered "King of Clay for nothing because of his countless successes on ashes.
The Mallorcan will also be a great favorite in the Principality. Nadal has won the event a total of eleven times and, after his success in the previous year, is the defending champion. After that, the 17-time Grand Slam winner still has the tournaments in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Paris on the program.
Alexander Zverev: Munich instead of Barcelona
Alexander Zverev has a tournament schedule similar to Nadal. The only difference: Instead of the tournament in Barcelona, the German will serve at his home event in Munich. In the Bavarian capital, the 21-year-old will start as defending champion.
After his early end in Miami, preparation for the sandpaste season is already in full swing at Zverev . The third in the world rankings trains in his home town of Monte Carlo for the tournament taking place there. The ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo will take place from April 13th to 21st.