Alexander Zverev has clarified comments he made about being able to beat Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-final.
In last year's contest, Nadal edged the match with a one-set lead and the second was tied at 6-6 before Zverev sustained an ankle injury. The German player was then taken off the court in a wheelchair and had to withdraw from the competition due to the extent of the injury.
Nearly one year after the incident, Zverev shared his thoughts on the contest and was quoted by Eurosport saying he could have beaten Nadal, if not for the injury. However, the 26-year-old was eager to point out that he was simply saying he felt competitive rather than believing he was the favourite to win.
"I would never have said in my life that I was the favorite against Nadal in Paris, I simply commented that I was looking competitive and we were having a great game."
It was clear that Zeverev wanted to share his side of the story after his words were not presented in context. He also hit out against the press for misinterpreting him recently and explained that he would be more guarded moving forward.
"If my words were reproduced literally by the press, I would be much more open to talk, but if every time I say something, it is going to be misrepresented to make it more sellable and create a false story, I will limit myself to being politically correct and say the same as the rest."
The 26-year-old's response followed the original quote about the semi-final.
"Rafa is the best player to ever play on that surface. I felt like I was playing my best tennis that I've ever played on that surface, I did feel like I could at least compete with him, which I was doing. I felt like that could have been the week for me."
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