Toni Nadal: Alexander Zverev should already be world number one at his age

Michael Graham 08 Apr 2019 12:48 PM

Toni Nadal says that Alexander Zverev is behind the curve of other top performing youngsters in tennis history, but that’s to be expected.

Zverev is widely regarded as the top young player on the ATP Tour, and is currently number three in the world and reigning ATP Tour champion.

Nadal, though, says that is perhaps best explained by the advent of the technological age.

“[Carlos] Moya won his maiden French Open at 21 years,” Nadal told Libertad. “[Boris] Becker, [Michael] Chang… I do not know what happens, but before players won much more than now.

“Something failed in training with the younger guys. You see Zverev playing, and at that age Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick were already the world number ones and [Rafael] Nadal had several Grand Slam trophies.

“Now kids are too protected and they want to have everything.

“I (have) said it many times: what’s good for a professional player is not good for a kid.

“In the Academy, we understand that the world changes and some things changed through technology, that’s for sure, but what’s important keeps being the most important.

“Before it was a game of control and fight, now it’s different and you have to adapt.”

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