“He wants to leave…,” Tournament director reveals reason behind cancelation of farewell ceremony for Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros
As he is unsure of whether he will be returning next year, the organizers canceled the ceremony.
Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)
Rafael Nadal has hinted that he probably won’t retire after this season. Ahead of the Roland Garros main draw, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo revealed that a farewell ceremony for the King of Clay has been canceled.
Nadal is set to play Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Monday (May 27) to kick-start his campaign in the tournament where he lifted a record 14 titles. As he is unsure of whether he will be returning next year, the organizers canceled the ceremony.
As you can imagine, we had something planned for him. But he wants to leave the door open, so we’re not going to push him to do anything. It’s his decision when he wants to have a proper ceremony or proper goodbye and proper farewell. So we’re not going to do it this year.Amelie Mauresmo said during a press conference
Nadal is unseeded in the tournament and for the first time, he will be playing a Grand Slam event without a seeding since 2005. To avoid causing any problems by “giving protection to some player“, the organizers decided not to award a seeding to the 14-time French Open champion.
Rafael Nadal is ready to face one of the toughest opponents
Rafael Nadal is handed a tough draw as he plays Alexander Zverev in the first round. The World No.4 has landed in Paris following his second Italian Open title after beating Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 7-5 in the final.
Amidst top contenders’ struggles with fitness and form, Zverev is considered a favorite to win the coveted title. Nadal said he is finding the match against Zverev a tough one but is ready to beat him.
Of course, on paper, it is not the best draw. I play against one of the toughest opponents possible, and at the same time, he came here winning the last event and it's the Masters 1000. It's not a small one. So what can I do? That's the draw. Just try to be ready for it.Rafael Nadal said at a press conference
Nadal leads the head-to-head record 7-3 against Zverev, last beating him in the 2022 Roland Garros semifinals. In that match, the 37-year-old received a walkover after Zverev severely injured his ankle.
The Spaniard then went on to beat Casper Ruud in the final to lift his 14th title in Paris and his 22nd Grand Slam trophy. That was also the last time Nadal won a Grand Slam title.
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Gouri Das
(4740 Articles Published)