Toni Nadal weighs in on Zverev's loss in another Grand Slam final

Toni Nadal analyzed the reasons why Alexander Zverev once again failed to achieve a Grand Slam title. The legendary Spanish coach highlighted a crucial moment of the match that ended up defining the duel in favor of Carlos Alcaraz, who lifted his third Grand Slam title and first at Roland Garros.

In the final played on Sunday, May 9, at Court Phillipe Chatrier, Zverev was two sets to one up, but Alcaraz’s comeback ended with him taking the victory 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 after four hours and 19 minutes.

The world No. 4 came to the French Open final with great confidence, having won 12 consecutive matches on clay, including the Masters 1000 Rome Open title two weeks earlier. At Roland Garros, he defeated players like Holger Rune, Alex De Minaur, and Casper Ruud, not to mention the challenging debut against 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

However, he faced an inspired Alcaraz, who once again showed a cool head at the most crucial moments. This was Alcaraz’s third Grand Slam final and his third title, all on different surfaces and at just 21 years old. This contrasts with Zverev, who frequently reaches deep stages in Slams but falls short in the final stages (he has six semifinal losses and two final losses).

This is Zverev's second loss in a Grand Slam final, having first played in the decisive match against Dominic Thiem back at the 2020 US Open. On that occasion, Zverev was two sets up (and a break up in the third set), but his constant errors and double faults were exploited by the Austrian, who won the title at Flushing Meadows 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Spanish coach Toni Nadal analyzed the most recent French Open final in the newspaper El País. In his opinion column, he reflected on how Zverev let the fourth set slip away while praising Alcaraz’s composure: “At the second point of the first game in the fourth set, after the big comeback of the previous set and having taken a 0–15 lead, Alexander made a trivial error and turned angrily towards his box to complain,” Toni Nadal wrote. “Fifteen minutes later, in the blink of an eye, the Spaniard was already leading 4–0 in this important set."

“If Zverev has failed to win a Grand Slam tournament so far, it is surely because he has not been able to control these situations like at the start of the fourth set against Alcaraz,” the former Felix Auger-Aliassime's coach added. “Carlos faced him in the fourth set after a painful comeback without losing his composure, his conviction, and his faith in victory. Something that is only within the reach of great champions. My most sincere congratulations.”