“Deep down you know that it is Nadal,” Francisco Cerundolo reveals the intimidation factor ahead of the first-round clash against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon
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Rafael Nadal and Francisco Cerundolo
Marking his return at SW19, Rafael Nadal will face Argentine youngster Francisco Cerundolo in the first round. While Cerndolo is more of a clay-court specialist, he has proved his mettle as an all-court player too. He reached the semifinals of the Miami Masters earlier this year- a hard court event, that was also his best result in a big tournament.
The meeting against Nadal will be the first time Cerundolo will be playing any of the Big 3- Nadal, Federer, or Djokovic. Ahead of the match, Cerundolo spoke about how big of an opportunity this is for him. He said that he wanted to play this match all his life as he will be facing one of the best in history. He also expressed that he always wanted to play against Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic before they retire.
“It’s the game I wanted to play my whole life. I know it’s a very nice challenge because I’m facing one of the best in history or the best. It’s a very special duel. When I saw the draw, on the one hand I was happy, because I wanted to play against him, against Federer, and against Djokovic before they retire, because I know they don’t have many years left.”
Francisco Cerundolo confident ahead of Nadal clash
He then told that he always enters the court to win and that will be his intention against Nadal. He is very confident in himself but also revealed the intimidation factor Nadal carries with him. He said deep down he knows that he is facing Nadal and his chances of winning are more.
“One always enters the court to win. To get high in tennis you have to have confidence against everyone. In these matches you go out to win, but deep down you know that it is Nadal, that he has the chance to win and I have the chance to lose,” he added.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)