The Spaniard had never arrived in such alarming physical condition at Roland Garros, so the 14th title is even harder
Rafa Nadal’s words after the loss to Denis Shapovalov on Thursday were discouraging. Rarely has the tennis player from Manacor been seen in that frame of mind. “I am not injured; I am a player living with an injury. It’s there and my day to day is complicated. I’m trying, but it’s hard for me. One day my head will tell me enough is enough. I play to be happy, but pain takes away your happiness, and not just to play, but to live. My problem is that I live in too much pain for many days. I enjoy what I do, but it gives me many days of unhappiness,” Nadal explained at a press conference.
Minutes before, he’d lost to the Canadian in the round of 16 at the Masters 1,000 in Rome, but the defeat wasn’t the worst. He spent the last set limping, limping, with clear signs that the foot problems had returned. The lofty level of the first set, in which he ‘sweep’ the Canadian, had faded. Only pain remained. And all this happened eleven days before the start of Roland Garros, the big date in red on Nadal’s calendar, who never reached the second Grand Slam of the season under these circumstances. He has never landed in Paris without at least one clay-court final.
The only example to watch was the 2015 season when he only reached the final of the Masters 1,000 in Madrid. That is the only campaign – not counting 2020, when there was no clay tour yet – in which Nadal played Roland Garros without having won any title on this surface. A rarity for a tennis player who shows off 12 wounds in Barcelona, 11 in Monte Carlo, 10 in Rome and four in Madrid.
He still has the thorn that he never won all the league titles in the same year, something he touched on in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018, when he was just one trophy away from taking the title. latest poker tournaments. play in clay. Now the movie is very different. After the best start to the year of his career, with 20 wins in a row and triumphs in Melbourne, Australia and Acapulco, Nadal has suddenly retired. The chest injury, which resulted in a bruised rib, was a setback in the Indian Wells final that sidelined him for six weeks and prevented him from competing in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, the tournaments that best suit his game.
A breakthrough that is more serious now that the Spaniard only managed to reach the quarter-finals and eighth finals in Madrid and Rome respectively. Only five games on clay, about 11 hours and a half on the track. Unsurprisingly, then, after beating John Isner on his debut in the Italian capital, he immediately asked his team to book a training ground. He needs games and rhythm, and he doesn’t get that for Roland Garros anymore.
The Balearic Islands will make their debut on Monday 23 or Tuesday 24, with a record recovery time from the defeat in Rome. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or what will happen in two weeks,” Nadal snapped. “I just need to get my feet up to play. Today (before Thursday) I’ve seen positive things. I’ve been able to play at my best level for a while since the injury. I won’t stop believing so I can have a chance “I will not fail in that. If there is a small opportunity, I am ready to fight for it,” he assured.
Nadal loses 910 points from last year’s victory due to the defeat in Rome and drops to fifth place in the world ranking. A step back that will have its consequences in Paris. Nadal will not break into the top four and could face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. The last time that happened, in 2015, the Serb took his first win over the Balearic Islands at Roland Garros. Due to the great start to the year, the Spaniard retains the first place in the race to Turin, where the Masters Cup will be played.
Source: La Verdad
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