‘It has been a very emotional night for me,’ Rafael Nadal reflects back on his groundbreaking victory over Novak Djokovic at the French Open
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Rafael Nadal
13-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal knocked out his arch-rival and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal of the 2022 French Open. The Spaniard avenged his loss from last year by beating Djokovic in four sets 6-2,4-6,6-2,7-6(4) to reach the Roland Garros semifinals for a record 15th time.
Nadal was visibly emotional after winning the match and spoke about the same in the post-match press conference. He explained that he was emotional because the last 3.5 months of his career weren’t ideal at all. He struggled with various injuries and came into Roland Garros without winning a clay-court title.
“I became emotional because, of course, the last three months and a half for me, the only thing that I can say is it hasn’t been easy,” Nadal said. “Not going to be talking about all the things I went through the last couple of months anymore now, because I have to keep going, but of course, it hasn’t been a fun three months. All these things… make this match more special, without a doubt.”
‘I am not the kind of guy that emotionally goes high and low. I am very stable’: Rafael Nadal
He added that the match against Djokovic was just a quarterfinal and he didn’t win any title hence he’s going to let that pass and be focused on his semifinal clash against World No.3 Alexander Zverev.
“In the end, it has been a very emotional night for me,” he said. “I’m still playing for nights like today. But it’s just a quarter-final match, no? So I didn’t win anything. So I just give myself a chance to be back on the court in two days and play another semi-final here in Roland Garros. It means a lot to me.”
He said that he is not the kind of player that goes emotionally high or low and considers himself a very emotionally stable person. “If I am not playing well or if I am losing in that semi-finals match, [it is] not going to be because I’m not going to be focussed… I have experience with that. I am not the kind of guy and player that emotionally goes high and low. I am very stable, I think, emotionally,” he said.
Nadal concluded by saying that he has a lot of experience being on the big stage and knows how things work. It has been a beautiful and emotional night for him but he’s going to shift his focus to the semifinal very soon.
“I know how things work, no? It’s the moment to enjoy today, because [it has] been a beautiful night for me, without a doubt. A very emotional one. But tomorrow [I’m] going to start thinking about things that I need to do to be ready for that semi-finals. The main goal is to be focused on [keeping] the level that I have been playing today,” Nadal said.
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Lakshya Chopra
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