"Rafael Nadal is still the favorite to win RG, our job is to prevent that from happening" - Alexander Zverev

Newly-crowned Madrid Open champion Alexander Zverev recently gave his thoughts on Rafael Nadal's prospects at this year's Roland Garros. Speaking to the media ahead of his participation at the Italian Open, Zverev asserted that Nadal was still the favorite to triumph in Paris despite his recent setbacks.

It was Alexander Zverev himself who handed Rafael Nadal one of the worst claycourt losses of his career a few days ago, as he defeated the Spaniard 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Madrid Open. Nadal looked listless and passive throughout the encounter, which allowed Zverev to take the initiative with his power hitting.

Rafael Nadal admitted after the match that he was unhappy with his performance, and even claimed that he did "everything wrong" in the important moments. Nadal will now be looking to regain some of his lost confidence with a good showing at the Italian Open, which is his last event in the lead-up to Roland Garros.

During his pre-tournament presser in Rome on Tuesday, Alexander Zverev suggested that Rafael Nadal will be successful in doing exactly that. Zverev claimed Nadal will always be in with a chance of winning the French Open, and that he can't be considered beaten until he is actually out.

"He's (Rafael Nadal) still the favorite, that hasn't changed," Zverev said. "You have to beat him. The chance for him is relatively great. Our job is to prevent that from happening."

Zverev then went on to name himself, Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem, among a few others, as the players who could possibly challenge Rafael Nadal in Paris.

"Novak, Domi, me and a few others, we can challenge him," Zverev remarked.

"You hear noises, there is always something going on, I miss that" - Alexander Zverev on the absence of crowds

Alexander Zverev throws his towel into the audience

Alexander Zverev also spoke about the absence of capacity crowds at tournaments during the COVID-19 pandemic. With only a limited number of fans being allowed into stadiums due to health restrictions, all sports have dearly missed the involvement of crowd noise and electricity.

The fans in the stands help reinvigorate players when they are down. And nobody knows that better than Alexander Zverev, who has often used crowd reactions to charge himself up during tough matches in the past.

The German echoed that sentiment during his presser, and insisted that he missed the fanfare and emotions that the fans provided.

"It's different. A finale with fans is different than in front of empty stands," Zverev said. "Sports are emotions, regardless of whether they are a team or individual sport. You get it from the audience. You hear noises, there is always something going on, I miss that."