Argentina went crazy this Thursday morning with Rafa Nadal and Gabriela Sabatini. The two tennis legends shared a court in Buenos Aires in an exhibition against Norwegian Casper Ruud and local tennis player Gisela Dulko.
The match, just one set left, Nadal and Sabatini won, 6-4.
This mixed doubles is the finishing touch of an exhibition between Nadal and Ruud for the best of three sets, which the Spaniard won 7(10)-(8)6 and 6-2.
Both left the Parque Roca stadium in Buenos Aires when there were still thousands of people around the stadium waiting to get in amid strict access controls.
The first to enter was the Norwegian, who despite beating local Diego Schwartzman in the final of the Argentina Open in February was greeted with applause.
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When the greatest Grand Slam winner emerged, the fans cheered, and someone even shouted at him “Marry me, Rafa!”to the laughter of other fans who packed the track.
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The game started thirty minutes later than scheduled.
After a few careful first minutes, used to warm up, both tennis players gave a decent show for the audience.
Near the end of the first set, Ruud handed his racket to a small ball-reacher to play a point against Nadal.
The Spanish trailed in the first quarter 7-6.
The second set, unlike the first, was fast and uneven. Nadal prevailed 6-2.
Later, Sabatini and Dulko entered wearing Argentine team jerseys. Sabatini said Dulko’s “Rafa” and “Casper” and gave them to the players.
“I’m super excited, I think that’s the word. It’s a luxury to be next to these two monsters”, Sabatini said in the official broadcast a few minutes before the start of the mixed doubles.
The four played to a set, to no avail.
That moment was without a doubt the most exciting and fun part of the day.
The audience was pleased not only to see Sabatini back on a court, but many attractive points.
After the match, nearly 13,000 people attended they applauded the four tennis players standing for the show they gave.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
