ilyza1002@ilyza1002
Toni Nadal said in an interview during the Australian Open that he thinks Zverev is the only one who can challenge Alcaraz and Sinner, if he changes certain things.
Nada: "So, Alcaraz can go wherever he wants. First, he has special physical conditions, he has very good technical skills and, on top of that, he is lucky: he has lower-level rivals. And I'm not saying this because I'm Rafael Nadal's uncle — not at all. I try to be impartial. But it's clear, you said it before: before, Rafael or Djokovic played against Del Potro, and if Del Potro had a great day, he could beat you. Before, Rafael and Federer faced Wawrinka or Murray, and you knew you were going to suffer and that the match was going to be complicated."
Today they win 80% of the time?
Nadal: "Yes. The only one I think could challenge them a little is Zverev, as long as he's willing to change some habits in both his game and his character. If he's willing to fight... because Zverev has great ball control and a very good serve. I said this to Zverev when he came to train. I said,"‘Look, you have that serve, how many breaks are they going to get on you in a match? Two? Then play much more aggressively." Because you're not like Rafael, who had to fight for every point. You know that in a long match the'll get two breaks on you, so take a lot more risks."
After the final of the Australian Open, Toni Nadal gave another interview and said the following:
Nadal: "For me, he (Alcaraz) has a big advantage in that I don't see any rival, or almost any rival, who can bother him or unsettle him much... No, Sinner obviously can."
And Zverev on Thursday when we saw him close in and force the fifth set?
Nadal: "Zverev, yes, I said it, I don't know if you remember... I said, ‘Well, if Zverev plays well...’ But Zverev has a mental problem. He has an obsession with winning. Zverev had the match, he had the chance to win the second set, and when he served to win, he got broken. And his best shot is his serve. He comes back to win the match in the fifth, when he serves to close out the match and again... fails at that moment. So he's a dangerous rival and, for me, he's clearly better than Djokovic is today, but he lacks... the... if he, if Zverev had won that match today, he probably would have won the final too. It would change him because it gives you extra confidence and takes away the pressure he has to win a Grand Slam.
Today, I don't see a Fonseca or a Mensik who can compete with Carlos in a year or two. I don't know if one will appear soon, but at the moment I don't know of any young players aged 18, 19 or 17 who are already showing signs of being a number one. Of course, in the end, Carlos is competing against Sinner, who is very good; Zverev, let's see how today's result affects him; and then the others, who seemed like they should be there, have disappeared: Rublev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev."
