Toni Nadal gives his blunt opinion on Zverev, his potential new pupil: "He needs to change his mentality."

The image went viral on social media this Monday. Alexander Zverev, racket in hand, at the Rafa Nadal Academy accompanied by Toni Nadal , who was giving him instructions. The scene was repeated two days later. Does "Uncle Toni" already have a new pupil?

There's no confirmation (or denial) as to whether the two will begin a collaboration. But what's certain is that the German is training alongside Rafa Nadal's mentor , with whom he maintained a family and professional relationship for 27 years.

Zverev ended up feeling very down at Wimbledon . He made no bones about it in a press conference after his first-round exit against Frenchman Rinderknech. "I'm trying to find ways... I'm trying to find ways to get out of this rut. Somehow, I just keep falling back into it. I generally feel pretty alone in life right now , which isn't a very nice feeling," he said.

Therefore, it wouldn't be so surprising if Zverev decided to start a career alongside Toni, who forged his nephew's indestructible mentality . As if they were already working together, Toni Nadal openly expressed his opinion on what the German needs.

Interviewed by the German newspaper sport.de , Toni Nadal declined to comment on purely tennis-related aspects of Sascha's performance . In his opinion, "he has it all... when he changes," and the click he needs to achieve isn't a question of his game, but rather his mentality.

“In my opinion, Zverev has a mentality problem,” he declared. “Last year, for example, when he played against Alcaraz in the Roland Garros final, [Zverev] won the third set . At the start of the fourth , a moment when you have to pay a lot of attention, in those first games, he starts to have problems with his team, he starts talking . After 10 minutes, Alcaraz is winning 4-0 or 4-1. That’s what can’t happen . I appreciate it, but, for me, that has to change,” opines Toni Nadal clearly and concisely.

If Toni Nadal has been known for anything, it's his discipline, his focus on hard work, his emotional management... In short, he encompasses it all under the word 'mentality.' And he gives another, much more recent example that's familiar to everyone.

"Winning is a question of mentality. At the last Roland Garros, why did Sinner lose? At 0-40, he wasn't brave enough." So, in that final in Paris , the top two players on the ATP Tour (Sinner and Alcaraz) faced each other. The third, despite everything, is Alexander Zverev. "It's not easy, but I think he can win. He's the world number 3. The world number 3 can win, but it's a question of working hard. If you don't work hard, you're not good enough ," concluded Toni Nadal. In Germany, they already welcome this possible alliance. At the moment, nothing has been confirmed.