"Why don’t you concentrate on tennis & try wining 1 GS in your career"- Tennis fans lash out at Alexander Zverev for predicting Nadal's retirement

German tennis sensation Alexander Zverev faced the wrath of tennis fans as the German "predicted" that Rafael Nadal will retire at the end of this year's Roland Garros.

The 21-time Grand Slam singles winner is currently at the tail end of his career. At the age of 36, the Spaniard has faced quite a number of injury concerns, only for him to squash them and continue winning trophies. In his interviews, the southpaw has repeatedly expressed his desire to keep playing the sport in the coming years.

Speaking in an interview with Eurosport, Zverev "predicted" that the Mallorca-born will most probably win his 23rd Grand Slam trophy in Paris and retire at the end of the Grand Slam.

"Rafael Nadal will unfortunately retire at Roland-Garros. I don't wish him, but I think he will have a great tournament, potentially win it and then say goodbye," Zverev said.

Zverev's unexpected comments about the veteran did not go down well with fans online, as they reacted quickly enough to express their displeasure at the 25-year-old's statement.

Some tweets hinted at how Zverev's career was in danger after he suffered a horrific injury in the semifinals of Roland Garros against the Spaniard.

"That's rich coming from someone who might have had his career ended at RG," one tweet read.

Some fans even asked the former World No. 2 to keep his mouth shut.

"no one asked keep his name out of your filthy mouth!!!," a caption of another tweet.

Another fan reminded him that he is yet to win a Grand Slam singles title. They suggested he should focus on himself and how to improve his on-court performance rather than making unnecessary predictions regarding the Spanish legend's retirement.

"@AlexZverev why don’t you concentrate on your tennis & try to win even just 1 GS in your tennis career instead of insinuating & speculating Rafa’s retirement. It’s non of your business whatever he does with his tennis career. It’s very disrespectful. Shame on you.

Another fan was visibly tired of hearing predictions about Nadal's retirement since 2007.

"Don’t you have a better prediction for 2023, Alex ? One which is not constantly repeated since 2007.

Below are a few more fan reactions:

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The former World No. 1 revealed in an interview with Marca, how he considered hanging up his tennis boots after winning his 22nd Grand Slam trophy at the Paris Major last year.

The Spaniard has been suffering from chronic foot pain for some time now, and the 14-time French Open winner reflected on how his injury forced him to cut short his celebration of winning a Major and think about retiring.

"I was very happy after winning Roland Garros, but at the same time, I thought I was going to have to retire from professional tennis because I couldn't continue with those chronic pains or playing undercover."

Nadal eventually returned to the tour, reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon and the fourth round of the US Open, ending the year ranked No. 2 in the world. His 2023 Australian Open title defense begins on Monday, January 16 against Jack Draper in the first round.