“Rafa arrived in Australia without pressure” Marc Rosset heaps praise on Rafael Nadal for his historic 21st major, comments if Roger Federer can match it


“Rafa arrived in Australia without pressure” Marc Rosset heaps praise on Rafael Nadal for his historic 21st major, comments if Roger Federer can match it

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Marc Rosset

World No. 5 Rafael Nadal silenced all of his critics in the best way possible when he defeated World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling 5-set encounter in the finals of the 2022 Australian Open. Despite being 2-sets down in the 3rd set, the Spaniard clawed his way back into the match to win after the match clock had 5 hours and 24 minutes on it, having played the second-longest Grand Slam final of all time.

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Given his foot injury that saw him play a total of 5 matches between his last Grand Slam appearance that came in the semi-finals of the 2021 French Open, not many believed Nadal had a chance with 3 of those 5 matches coming in the first week of January when he returned to Tour for the first time since August 2021 and had recovered from Covid-19 as well.

However, despite all the odds and challenges, Nadal became the first man ever to win 21 Grand Slam titles and went ahead in the Grand Slam titles race for the first time as he now overtakes his closest rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who have 20 majors each. Speaking about this historic achievement, Swiss great and Olympics Gold medallist at 1992 Olympics, Marc Rosset heaped praise on Rafa.

“In fact, I think that Rafa arrived in Australia without pressure, he was just happy to be able to be competitive, to play tennis. And then as the tournament progressed, he gained confidence and went all the way. It’s been 17 years since he won his first title at Roland Garros, it’s incredible,” said Rosset while speaking with RTS.

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“Until he picks up the racket”: Marc Rosset on whether Roger Federer can comeback and win a 21st major like Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal

With Nadal and Federer both out from the second half of the 2021 season due to respective injuries, it was always a doubt whether these two former World No. 1 players can come back and win a major again. While Nadal is still 35, Federer will be celebrating his 41st birthday this year and given his recurring injuries, it is really difficult to comment whether a 21st for Federer is possible or not.

“I can’t comment on Federer, I don’t know. As he said in his congratulatory message to Rafa, a great champion should not be underestimated, they are capable of coming back, Federer achieved that feat well in 2017 in Australia. So you have to be patient even if at 40, it will be difficult, but until he picks up the racket, it’s difficult to get an idea,” added Rosset who has been one of the closest spectators to Federer’s career.

Also Read: Despite Rafael Nadal winning 21 majors, Novak Djokovic will be ‘The GOAT’ believes Greg Rusedski