“I was sleeping with his t-shirt when he was winning his first Roland-Garros,” Corentin Moutet details in on his fanboy meeting with Rafael Nadal
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Corentin Moutet, Rafael Nadal posing with 2005 French Open trophy
22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal has been the inspiration of many currently active Tour players with the Spaniard inspiring almost generations to pick up the tennis racket. The Spaniard who turned pro back in 2001 now leads the men’s side with most Grand Slams.
While Nadal has been smashing many tennis records, one that might remain untouched is his title tally at the French Open with the ‘King of Clay’ winning 14 titles at the historic venue. To put things in perspective, the legendary Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slams in his career.
“Don’t retire, I have to play against you before you retire!”: Corentin Moutet on wanting the chance to play Rafael Nadal
One such player who looked up to Nadal is 23-year-old Frenchman Corentin Moutet, winner of 5 Challenger and 5 ITF singles titles. Moutet is currently in the draw of the 2022 US Open having entered as a lucky loser and has made his way to the 4th Round already.
“It was unreal. I was always talking about it with my coach because I missed this match two years ago, in 2020. I lost in five sets in the third round to play Rafa after. I was still thinking about it.
“When he was injured I was like, ‘C’mon, don’t retire, I have to play against you before you retire!’ To play him, you have to be in his draw and you have to win matches, so I had to be lucky a little bit.
“Then I played Stan [Wawrinka] which is not easy at all so I thought this time it’s maybe my last chance to play him, so when I won the match I was so happy to play against him,” said Moutet speaking with Tennis Majors.
“Centre Court, Paris, that’s why I started tennis. I was watching him, I was sleeping with his t-shirt when he was winning his first Roland-Garros. It was crazy. I am never like this.
“Normally I am not satisfied with where I am because I always want more, but this time I was with my coaches and I said, ‘C’mon, let’s take five minutes and recognise this. We are all coming from the same place when we were five or six.’ And then I was there.
“I’m lucky and I did really well. I should be proud of myself. It’s not often that I’m proud of myself, even if I am doing everything, I always wait for more, and this time I said to myself, ‘Okay, I can be proud,” added Moutet further.
At the US Open, the only way Moutet and Nadal could meet is if they both reach the finals as they are in the opposite halves of the draw. For the 4th round, Rafa will take on 22nd-seeded Frances Tiafoe while Moutet locks horns with 5th-seeded Casper Ruud.
Also Read: How Novak Djokovic’s US Open ban changed Corentin Moutet’s life
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)