“Could be the last time”- Mats Wilander conveys his agitation of watching Rafael Nadal play his last Grand Slam in Paris
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Mats Wilander and Rafael Nadal
The current French Open has been a roller coaster ride. The King of Clay’s performances, on the other hand, remain consistent. Rafael Nadal is on his way to winning the French Open for the 14th time this season. To reach the semifinals of the tournament, he has defeated players such as Canadian tennis ace Felix Auger-Aliassime and defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Nadal will face current World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the last round of the Grand Slam in the near future. Tennis fans and ex-players are busy voicing their ideas and predictions as a major match approaches. One of the most renowned tennis experts and former tennis player himself Mats Wilander opined on the matter.
“It’s just such a romantic story”- Mats Wilander on Rafael Nadal’s chemistry with Roland-Garros
In an interview with Eurosport, Mats Wilander talked about the possibility of this year’s French Open being Rafael Nadal’s last match. While he was at it, Alex Corretja accompanied him. Wilander said, “I think we have to realise that. I realised that when i was watching his play against Novak at Roland-Garros. It could be the last time that they play in a grand slam too because it’s not that easy to reach their seats and we can’t expect them to keep going at this rate.”
He also elaborated more on the lovey-dovey equation between Nadal and the clay of Roland-Garros and his upcoming clash the World No. 3 Alexander Zverev. “I think every time I watch Rafa on this court, it’s just such a romantic story. He loves this court so much, it always brings the best out of him. But, for once, the conditions, dry and fast will favour Zverev, not Rafa. Zverev talked about it before that it’s much better for him, it’s fast and dry.”
Rafael Nadal’s recurrent foot problem means that every tournament, or possibly every match, he participates in could be his last. It comes after the Spaniard defeated his arch-rival, Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 and defending champion, in a late-night classic at the French Open on Tuesday. When Rafael Nadal hobbled through a loss to Denis Shapovalov just three weeks ago in Rome, he seemed a shadow of the player who had sent Djokovic packing.
However, Nadal and his doctor are managing the ailment in the hopes of helping him win his 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam. The Spaniard appears to be playing above his pain threshold, but the fact that this could be his final French Open pushes him to the brink of all-time brilliance.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)