This is not his 15th Roland Garros. Not even his 23rd Grand Slam. It is not a victory that will give him more crowns nor will it matter to his numbers and extensive record. But it would be one of the most important of his career in intangibles. Rafa Nadal is clear after raising his arms again to celebrate a victory on a tennis court. It’s been almost a year since he played an official match, except for the doubles a few days ago with Marc López, which was just to add minutes and shots to the competition. This Tuesday is the great test of fire, the day where the butterflies return to the stomach, where will meet again alone in front of a baseline, with a rival like Dominic Thiem on the other side of the net, holding a racket in front of thousands of watching eyes, with more to lose than to gain because he has nothing left to prove to anyone at this point in his film. And he nailed it. again. At 36 years old and after almost a year out of competition, he won a match again.
“Today is actually an exciting and important day for me.”safely at the foot of the track seconds after winning his match Thiem in Brisbane. In his eyes and face he could not hide the feelings he felt and he made it clear how important this meeting was for him after so much struggle.
A year ago, he decided not to throw in the towel, to stop to enjoy tennis again in what could be his ‘last dance’ in 2024. Take one step back to take two steps forward. He made it clear: he still loves tennis and wants to say goodbye to it in style. enjoying Without suffering. Coming back is not easy, but I want to do it. But doing it at a high level is another story. And this victory showed him that the enormous efforts made in recent months to return with the goal of being competitive can pay off.. The start was positive, as Rafa himself emphasized the public applause.
“After probably one of the hardest years of my tennis career, without a doubt, having the option to come back after a year and fight in front of an incredible crowd and play in what I think is a very positive level to be the first day. , it’s something that probably makes us feel proud for me, for the whole team and for the family, that was there every day last year.”, he added. He still has a lot of room to recover the sensations and tennis. He knows. But for now, Nadal smiled again. He won again.
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.
