Rafael Nadal dodges Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev question after Italian Open win
RAFAEL NADAL refused to discuss the French Open and whether or not Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev could challenge him after his Italian Open win.
Rafael Nadal collected his eighth Italian Open title
Nadal collected his eighth Italian Open title and 32nd Masters crown on Sunday with a hard-fought victory in three sets over Zverev - 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
After seeing his clay court run snapped by Dominic Thiem last week in Madrid, the Spaniard was back to his imperious best in Rome and his win took him back above Roger Federer into the world No 1 spot.
The 31-year-old is widely expected to collect his 11th title at Roland Garros next month.
Djokovic, who has run into a bit of form and Zverev - a three-time Masters winner - are likely to be Nadal’s biggest threats to him triumphing in Paris.
Alexander Zverev is likely to be a big threat to Rafael Nadal at the French Open
It’s always so special - it’s not the moment to think about Roland Garros
But Nadal preferred to focus instead on celebrating his win at Foro Italico.
“Today is about winning Italian Open,” Nadal said when asked for his thoughts about who will challenge him at the French Open.
“It’s always so special - it’s not the moment to think about Roland Garros.
Italian Open: Nadal beats Zverev to win title in 2018
“It’s the moment to enjoy this day and in a couple of days we will think about Roland Garros.”
Nadal’s victory put him fourth on the list of players with most titles in the Open era (78).
Next in his sights will be Ivan Lendl (94), while Roger Federer, who skipped the clay court season is second with 97.