Rafa Nadal expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday at starting his path to the United States Open with a victory and his joy at returning to compete on the Arthur Ashe track, knowing that “in the not too distant future” he does not know if he will step on it again.
“They are always positive emotions, Arthur Ashe is a very special track, the biggest track in the world for us, a very special city like New York. Here the sport is experienced in a slightly different way from the rest of the world,” Nadal said in a press conference after the match won by Australian Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, and at least for a while I don’t know if I’ll ever come back here.but here I am, enjoying the moment”, he added.
Nadal, four-time champion in New York, he has not competed at Arthur Ashe since 2019, when he won the title in an epic final against Russian Daniil Medvedev.
The 36-year-old Spaniard has had to live with a long series of physical problems, the latest being his abs. That break forced him to withdraw from the Wimbledon tournament before the semifinals and Nadal arrives in New York having played just one match since then, falling in Cincinnati against Croatian Borna Coric.
Interestingly, withdrawing without playing at Wimbledon makes his record in this year’s ‘greats’ unblemished, twenty wins out of twenty titles at the Australian Open and at Roland Garros.
“I haven’t lost anything, but I haven’t won the ‘big’ three, so in a way it’s worse. Retirement, in my opinion, is harder than losing. Sport is a matter of win or lose, not retirement”I consider.
“Obviously I’m having a great year because of the results, but at the same time it’s difficult because I went through foot problems, rib problems, broken abs. A lot has happened in the last six or seven months“, he continued.
In the next round, Nadal will face Italian Fabio Fogniniwhere he has a balance of thirteen wins and four losses, one of them suffered in New York in 2015.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
