‘At the age of 35, he still continues to play some fantastic tennis!’ Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova INSPIRED by Rafael Nadal’s sensational comeback in the Australian Open Final

‘At the age of 35, he still continues to play some fantastic tennis!’ Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova INSPIRED by Rafael Nadal’s sensational comeback in the Australian Open Final

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal scripted history a week ago when he became the first man in tennis history to win 21 grand slam titles after he defeated Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling Australian Open Final. Nadal came from two weeks down to win in Melbourne Park for only the second time and also became the third man in the open era to win all majors at least twice.

Fellow players and the whole tennis community have lauded Rafa for his amazing comeback. French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova too spoke about the Men’s Singles Final Down Under in the pre-tournament press conference at St. Petersburg. She said that she was inspired by the fact that Nadal still continues to play amazing tennis despite being 35-years old.

“I watched [the 2022 Australian Open] final match,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “Unfortunately, I missed a set and a half at the beginning, but I managed to watch the most interesting part. To be honest, I was inspired by the fact that Rafael Nadal, at the age of 35, still continues to play some fantastic tennis.”

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She further said that she considers Rafa as her role model and that she’s a huge admirer of his forehand. “[Because of] his fighting qualities and character, I consider him a role model,” she said. “The following day I went to training all pumped up and full of energy. For me, it was an inspiration in every sense. And that amazing forehand of his…”

‘I feel sorry for Daniil’: Pavlyuchenkova

Daniil Medvedev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Daniil Medvedev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Pavlyuchenkova later clarified that she was rooting for her countryman Daniil Medvedev in the final. She said that she felt sorry for him and also texted him. “I was rooting for Daniil Medvedev, of course,” Pavlyuchenkova said.

“Because we became friends with our guys in the ATP, we began to communicate more. I feel sorry for Daniil, but he’s still young. I even texted him, ‘You’re still young.’ He began laughing and said: ‘So what?!’ I said, ‘Well, you still have everything ahead of you.’ It was a fantastic final nonetheless.”

The Russian is seeded 4th in the St. Petersburg Open and will face Jaqueline Cristian in the first round on Tuesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93jNMkRwS1w&t=24s

Also read: Paula Badosa bursts into Top 5 of the WTA rankings and achieved THIS incredible feat in the process