Mischa Zverev has warned Rafael Nadal that he will likely have to make some changes to his daily training and routine after becoming a father. Two weeks ago, Spanish media reported that 36-year-old Nadal and his wife Xisca became parents to a baby boy.
“Life will change extremely – for the woman, but also for the father. You have to train for two, three hours every morning, then it’s regeneration or fitness. Normally you warm up for half an hour, then you train for two hours, then an hour of regeneration.
I know this from myself: when you have a child, you also sometimes say: ‘I’ll do regeneration tomorrow and I don’t need to warm up today’. So three and a half hours of training in the morning become two or one and a half,” Zverev told Eurosport Germany.
Zverev warns Nadal will likely experience changes
Zverev, who has been married since 2017, says his family has always been above tennis. But he understands that may not be necessarily the case with other players. “You have to think about how you want to approach it, how selfish – even that sounds stupid.
Tennis or family? It’s not easy to combine the two. For me, family has always come first. You have to get up at night and help, that’s not ideal before a match. It may be different with Rafa,” Zverev added. Because Nadal is doing extremely well financially, Zverev thinks that may be the advantage that the Spaniard can use in his favor in this certain situation.
“When you’re as successful as Rafa, however, you have the financial means to take so many people with you that everyday life can run smoothly. That makes it easier. It’s different with players who are ranked around 50th or 60th in the world rankings. You have your wife and coach with you, and suddenly the kid, too,” Zverev concluded.