“I always wanted to be like him” Alejandro Tabilo cherish the moments playing against his hero Rafael Nadal
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Rafael Nadal and Alejandro Tabilo (Image Credit: The Storiest)
With 22 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, popular personality Rafael Nadal is the idol for many up-and-coming tennis players out there. He has also won Olympic gold medals twice and the Davis Cup five times for his country Spain.
Nowadays, he is touring the South American continent and playing many exhibition matches. He stopped in Santiago, Chile, for an exhibition match against Chilean tennis professional Alejandro Tabilo. The Spaniard won the match 7-6, 6-3.
Though the Chilean lost the match, he has only wonderful words to say for Rafael Nadal. He idolizes the Spaniard.
“He’s been my idol since I was a kid. I always wanted to be like him, I grew up watching him play, I dressed like him, I won tournaments and I bit the trophy like him. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to play with him, follow in his footsteps,” he said in an interview after the match.
Rafael Nadal is touring the continent to maintain his peak fitness levels. He wants to be all ready for the ATP season which will kickstart in January 2023. He is the defending champion of the Australian Open and would love to add another title to his name.
Alejandro Tabilo’s 2022 season so far
Alejandro Tabilo started his season by participating in the ATP Cup for Chile. He was instrumental in Chile’s victories against Norway and Serbia. He qualified for the 2022 Australian Open but was knocked out in the first round of the tournament by Carlos Alcaraz.
He played in the Championship match of the Cordoba Open. He defeated Francisco Cerundolo, Carlos Taberner, Sebastian Baez, and Diego Schwartzman in previous rounds. Albert Ramos-Vinolas defeated him in three sets to clinch the title.
He reached the semi-finals of the Chile Open but was defeated by Pedro Martinez. But his performances helped him scale the ladder as he breached the Top 100 in the ATP rankings.
The Chilean tasted his first victory in Wimbledon as he defeated Laslo Đere to advance into the second round of the tournament. But he could not keep up his winning momentum going. He lost to Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round. This performance helped him to reach World No.68 rank and become the No.1 Chilean player. He also won his first match at the US Open this year.
Alejandro Tabilo had an inspiring season which would help him to grow as a player. He may not have been able to win any titles this season but he surely helped his cause and brought joy to thousands of people.
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