Alexander Zverev says that Rafael Nadal’s recent advice during his training at the Spaniard’s academy has been a ‘great help’ as he begins his North American hard-court swing.
The German has enjoyed a landmark 2026 season, with the highlight being the capture of his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets to end his run of three consecutive defeats in Grand Slam finals.
Just a few weeks later, the newly crowned Paris champion looked like a different player on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
He dropped just two sets en route to the final, having never previously reached the last eight at the event, and displayed a remarkable combination of aggression and precision.
Despite losing to Jannik Sinner in four sets, Zverev has leapfrogged Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings to rise to world No 2 for the first time since March 2025.
The German will now turn his attention to the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open, which takes place from August 30 to September 13.
After taking a few weeks to rest, Zverev travelled to Mallorca to practise at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where he has been closely watched by Toni Nadal and the 22-time Grand Slam champion himself.
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“It has been a good year. Of course, the year is not over, and we’re going to the North American Swing and two Masters and a Grand Slam coming up, which is very important,” stated the world No 2 during a video on the academy’s social media.
“Of course, I’m here [at the Rafael Nadal Academy] to prepare for that, and hopefully I’ll show my best there as well.
“I love Mallorca in general, so it’s just a great island to be in, I think, in the summer, especially with great preparation.
“You have a lot of heat here, which you will need in America as well. And the facilities are incredible. I think it’s quite obviously one of the best academies in the world.
“But you can also have privacy here, which is very nice for me and I enjoy coming back here.
“It’s great. Uncle Toni is on the court quite a lot with us. Rafa also came twice.
“It’s great to hear what their opinion is about my game. I think I’ve been playing against Rafa for 10 years, so it’s nice to hear from him from a competitive standpoint, but also what he thinks I can improve in my game, and I still want to improve every single day.
“I think it was a great help to have him on the court.”
Zverev has been remarkably consistent at the US Open, reaching the quarter-finals or better in four of his last five appearances.
In 2020, he led by two sets and a break against Dominic Thiem in the final before being edged out in a fifth-set tiebreak.
Twelve months ago, the German suffered his earliest exit at the tournament in seven years, losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
Before the US Open, Zverev will compete at the National Bank Open in Canada (August 2–13) and the Cincinnati Open (August 13–23), with both tournaments being Masters 1000 events.
