Alexander Zverev reveals how Rafael Nadal has recently helped him ahead of the US Open

The German finally clinched his first major and became the first man from his country to win a Grand Slam singles crown since Boris Becker in 1996.

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As well as his victory in Paris, Zverev achieved by far his best-ever Wimbledon result, reaching the final of the Championships before falling to Jannik Sinner.

With the US Open quickly approaching, the world number two has been training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, where the ‘King of Clay’ himself has been present.

Alexander Zverev talks about his time at the Rafael Nadal Academy

In an interview on the Rafael Nadal Academy YouTube channel, Zverev said: “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.

“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.

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“It’s great. Uncle Toni (Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach) 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.”

Alexander Zverev says winning Roland Garros was a ‘relief’

Prior to winning Roland Garros this year, Zverev had suffered three near-misses in Grand Slam finals during his career.

He lost his first at the 2020 US Open despite being two sets up in the match, before losing title bouts at the 2024 French Open and the 2025 Australian Open.

“Of course, personally, it’s a relief,” said Zverev when reflecting on winning his first major title at Roland Garros.

“It’s a tournament that I’ve been waiting for a long time to win. My first Grand Slam, it felt like I won on every other level.

“Of course, the Grand Slam was still a thing missing, but I was very happy and very satisfied to finally win.”

He continued: “I think the goal [moving forward] is quite obvious. I’m working hard, I’m training hard against some people. I think it’s very, very obvious for me.”

Zverev is set to compete at the Canadian Open next, followed by the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.