Around 6,000 people cheered on Rafa Nadal on Monday when Philippe Chatrier took to the court to do his first practice session in Paris. The 37-year-old Balearic tennis player has not set foot on his favorite court since June 5, 2022, the day he won his 14th title. Roland Garros after defeating Norwegian in the final Casper Ruud by 6-3, 6-3 and 6-0.
That victory in Paris has merit because the Spanish tennis player revealed that he played the tournament with his foot anesthetized to reduce the pain that was unbearable without pharmaceutical help. This is another chapter of the almost paranormal idyll he lives Rafael Nadal including Roland Garros, where he won 112 out of 115 matches played.
Three sad defeats in his entire career, with fights of grand slam in the best of five sets, speak for themselves about the epic Rafa wrote the track Philippe Chatrier: Novak Djokovic (2015 quarterfinals, 2021 semifinals) and Robin Soderling (eighth in 2009) was the only one to beat Rafa in his clay court reign.
Nadal arrived in Paris this year without his usual aura of untouchability. Under what should be his farewell season, the Manacorí player continues to prepare with the idea of being competitive enough and then the events will determine his true flight in the tournament.
In that sense, again in front of thousands of spectators on the center court, Rafa conducted a second, more intense rehearsal this Tuesday, leaving a good feeling and even winning the practice match against the American. Sebastian Kordacurrent world number 28: Nadal scored the first set 6-3 and won the second 5-3 when both tennis players had to leave the court to make way for the following players, according to Agence France Presse.
It is true that a competition set cannot be compared to a practice set, but any positive sign is relevant to know where Nadal’s shots are headed and his participation in Paris.
The draw is on Thursday and, for the first time since his debut, the Spaniard will not be seeded as he is ranked 276th in the world. The protected ranking before his injury allowed him to enter the main draw without having to play the qualification stage or request an invitation, but it did not qualify him to occupy one of the 32 positions reserved for seeds.
Source: La Verdad
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