Toronto top seed Zverev got expert insight from retired rival Rafa

Alexander Zverev returns to tennis with his confidence under repair after losing in the Wimbledon first round a month ago.

And the world number three, playing as top seed at the ATP Toronto Masters, is bolstered by the unique insight from one-time rival Rafael Nadal.

Zverev confirmed on Sunday in Toronto that he had sought advice—and possibly a new coach—as he travelled to Mallorca this month to visit Nadal’s training academy on the Spaniard’s home island.

While apparently failing to sign Nadal’s uncle Toni as his travelling coach, Zverev did have a chance to chat with Nadal, who retired last season.

“(Toni is) a great coach, no question about that, but he’s a personality that I think can give you confidence as well,” the German said.

“When he speaks and when Rafa speaks, you listen.

“They definitely spent a lot of hours talking to me, and Rafa gave me some great insight of what it is actually like to play against me.

“He saw me as a player. He sees me now as a spectator. It was very helpful. We spent hours and hours talking, sometimes past midnight at some dinners. It was great to be there.”

Zverev, a 2017 titleholder in Canada who has always been coached by his father, said that after his 10-day visit to Spain he is still trying to persuade Toni to come join his coaching team.

“I’m trying to convince him to do more weeks with me, and we’ll see how it goes, but he’s a very busy man,” Zverev said.

“I’m not sure how much of him you’ll see this year, because he gave his word to a lot of events. But we’re talking about what a potential partnership could look like, for sure.”

Zverev said the situation will be clearer “in a few weeks.”

The elder Nadal has previously worked with Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime after guiding his iconic nephew for much of his career.