Majorca before America
Alexander Zverev is sticking with what works. With just days to go before he returns to action in Montreal, the German has set up camp in Majorca, in a place he knows inside out: the Rafa Nadal Academy. It is no throwaway choice for the world No. 2, who wants to launch the North American swing with rhythm, familiar surroundings and the kind of confidence that drives big seasons.
The academy founded by Rafael Nadal confirmed his return on Tuesday with a video posted on social media. In it, Zverev is seen training, striking the ball cleanly and working under the watchful eye of a staff member. The caption was simple and warm: “Hallo, Sascha ! Great to welcome Alexander Zverev back to the Rafa Nadal Academy. It is always a pleasure to have you with us !”
The scene is set. Majorca sunshine, Nadal’s courts, and a Zverev who arrives with momentum before one of the biggest stretches of his season.
Hallo, Sascha! 👋
Great to welcome @AlexZverev back to the Rafa Nadal Academy
Always a pleasure to have you with us! 🎾💙 pic.twitter.com/F4L1BMlySJ
— Rafa Nadal Academy (@rnadalacademy) July 21, 2026
A place where he knows the ropes
Zverev did not pick Majorca by chance. In recent years, he has already spent several training blocks at the Rafa Nadal Academy. At this level, those details matter. Finding a stable, demanding setting that still feels familiar can be the difference between a routine return and a real push forward.
The German knows the facilities, the conditions and the atmosphere. He knows exactly what he is there to get: clean work, intensity, habits, and maybe a bit of calm before the noise of America.
Because the coming swing does not forgive. Montreal, Cincinnati, then the US Open. Three heavy stops, with deep draws, physical matches, quick courts and constant pressure.
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A Zverev in full flow
This build-up also arrives in a 2026 season in which Zverev has found his proper stature again. A Roland-Garros winner and the new world No. 2, he is moving with a confidence that looks very different from those years when everything seemed to demand extra effort.
The results back it up. In the ATP Race, he has almost doubled his points total compared with the same point in 2025. That is not just a decent run. That is a big-time season, the sort of year that belongs to a player settled near the top of the sport and happy to stare down the biggest occasions.
Zverev is no longer chasing a breakthrough. He has made it. Now he has to back it up.
Montreal as the first launch pad
The Masters 1000 in Montreal will be his first real test in this North American stretch. After clay, after the European summer, he has to get the hard-court feel back, adjust his movement, shorten some patterns and put the serve back at the heart of his game.
This part of the season could matter a lot for Zverev. He already has the points, the status and the confidence. Now he has to turn that into continuity. On hard courts, his game can do serious damage when it clicks: a heavy first serve, a solid backhand, strong court coverage, the ability to grind through long exchanges and punish any short ball.
Montreal will not just be a comeback event. It will be a marker.
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The US Open is already in the background
Even if no one wants to shout it too loudly, the end goal of this swing is obvious: arrive at the US Open full of confidence. Zverev has already had his nights in New York, the frustrations, the missed chances, the matches where his tennis looked ready for the title without the story quite getting there.
This time, he comes in carrying different weight. He is a recent Grand Slam champion. He is a player who proved at Roland-Garros that he can finish the job. And that kind of certainty changes everything.
In New York, he will still have to deal with the noise, the electric sessions and the matches that turn on a dime. But Zverev now has a stronger mental base. He knows he can win a major. He has already done it.
A sensible call, a clear goal
By heading back to the Rafa Nadal Academy, Zverev is sending a quiet but clear message: he wants to handle this stretch properly, in a setting that works for him. No grand speeches, no unnecessary noise. Just work.
And maybe that is what makes this period so interesting. Zverev is no longer rebuilding. He is no longer a promise. He is trying to maintain a very high level, with the aim of stretching out an already strong season.
Majorca is the base.
Montreal is the test.
And the US Open, naturally, is waiting at the end of the road.
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