Thursday June 28, 2012. London night. Rafael Nadal he slips and falls on the grass of the center court of the All England Club. A spectacular accident, where the Manacorí tennis player almost got tangled in the net. The iconic image of a shocking defeat, which became more painful as the days passed.
Although it was not known at the time, the knees of nadal They send warning signals. So he didn’t step on the court again until February 2013, on the clay of Viña del Mar.
Manacorí experienced a bitter pill that also involved Wimbledon, although for a different reason: he had to leave the London 2012 Olympic Gameswhere the Spanish flag bearer should be.
Everything accelerated in the second round of Wimbledon 2012. Rafa Nadal, second seed, arrived at the ‘Cathedral’ after playing in the final of five previous Grand Slam tournaments. In Paris he won his seventh Roland Garros the week before (half of the ones he has now).
At Wimbledon he has not missed his appointment in the previous five finals, with a break in 2009, no more on his knees. Champion in 2008 and 2010, finalist in 2006, 2007 and 2011.
He defeated the Brazilian in his debut Thomas Bellucci, an ‘earthling’, will collide with a ‘kamikaze’ of the network, then number 100 in the world. The Czech Lukas Rosolwho didn’t make many friends on the circuit because of the warrior’s overzealous enthusiasm, sent Nadal away with a night of treachery.
In a heated match, which was suspended for more than half an hour before facing the fifth and final set. In the midst of Nadal’s comeback, with 6-2 in the fourth set, the organization decided to stop the match to close the roof and play under artificial lighting.
“Closing the roof was not the best decision for me, I accept it,” declared Rafa Nadal, however upset by that proposal.
Won Lukas Rosol, 26 years old, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6 and 6-4 in 3h.18′. The Czech scored 22 aces, the astonishing 19 amassed by the Spaniard was useless to him.
“I need to rest, it’s been many months of non-stop play,” Nadal said. It will be seven months without competing.
Lukas Rosol He continued what he was doing. Now, at the age of 38, he assures that “everything will end one day, although this ending is the hardest.” He is retiring. He was 26th in the world in 2014. His body was not good enough, he announced.
That night with Nadal and the Davis Cup are among his fondest memories.
Source: La Verdad
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