Rafael Nadal believes Alexander Zverev can win the most Masters 1000 titles in 2023
Alexander Zverev can win the most ATP Masters 1000 titles in 2023, believes Rafael Nadal. The German, who is on the comeback trail since his ankle injury at last year's French Open, has what it takes to return to top form once again, according to the Spaniard.
Speaking in a promotional video for the ATP tour, Nadal picked Zverev when asked who could win the most Masters 1000 titles this season, adding that the former World No. 2 just needs a couple of match wins under his belt to get out of his slump.
"[Alexander] Zverev. I think he had a very tough 2022 after the injury he had and I've always been a believer that when you come back from a tough period of time, you are able to win a couple of matches and then you have an incredible power," Nadal said.
Alexander Zverev has already won five Masters 1000 titles -- 2x Madrid Open, 1x Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open and Italian Open. Among active players, he has the fourth-most titles in the category, behind only Novak Djokovic (38), Nadal (36) and Andy Murray (14).
Daniil Medvedev, on the other hand, picked Novak Djokovic, opining that the Serb's current run of form puts him above anyone else at the moment.
"Novak Djokovic," Medvedev said. "Just because he is so strong when he plays, he wins a lot of tournaments."
Thanasi Kokkinakis agreed with Medvedev's assessment, calling Djokovic a "complete" player.
"He's just complete," Kokkinakis said.
Denis Shapovalov, meanwhile, reckons Medvedev could win the most Masters 1000 titles in 2023, while Karen Khachanov picked recent Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
"Going to go with [Daniil] Medvedev," Shapovalov said.
"[Stefanos] Tsitsipas," Khachanov said.
Rafael Nadal's top-10 streak could soon be coming to an end, feels Brad Gilbert
Rafael Nadal, who has been in the top 10 of the ATP rankings for almost 18 straight years now, could soon find his streak coming to an end, feels Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert. With the Mallorcan injured and out of action until the Sunshine Double at the very least, Gilbert reckons Nadal might leave the top 10 in the coming days.
However, the American believes that it should be no problem for the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who, with a few more wins, could be back in the mix for top titles once again in no time.
"If my brain calculations are right, the amazing streak that he's had of top-10 consecutive weeks, which is 18 consecutive years, believe it or not, is going to come to an end," Gilbert said. "If he's going to be healthy and he's going to be seeded 11th or 12th in these tournaments, that's going to be a tough draw for somebody.
"That's all I hope for. If he's healthy, he's going to win matches and be right."