In his press conference after the match, Nadal was asked to give his thoughts on Alexander Zverev’s violent outburst that resulted in the German’s disqualification from the tournament. Zverev verbally abused the chair umpire and repeatedly smashed his racket on the umpire’s chair after losing his doubles match. The German has since apologized for his actions.
Nadal, for his part, felt the incident showed tennis in a bad light, as millions of children around the world looked up to top players like Zverev.
Nadal was, however, quick to show sympathy for the German, saying that by apologizing to his fans and the chair umpire, Zverev proved that he had realized his mistake.
When asked whether Zverev deserved any serious sanctions for his outburst, Nadal was quite straightforward in his response. The Spaniard reiterated that he felt sympathy for Zverev, but maintained that hurling expletives at the umpire was unacceptable.
“I have never been one to look at numbers and statistics” - Rafael Nadal
The 21-time Major winner is currently on a 12-match winning streak and already has two titles to his name this season. When asked to elaborate on the key factors that have contributed to his best-ever start to a season, the Spaniard played down the statistic and said his focus was only on improving his game. He also insisted that enjoying his time on the court was what mattered the most to him.
Nadal will face Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals in Acapulco. The Spaniard is bidding for a fourth title in the Mexican, but will likely have to beat Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in back-to-back matches to achieve the feat.
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