Jo-Wilfried Tsonga acknowledges that there were moments when he “did not want to see” Rafael Nadal play at the French Open, but he also says that he is now completely in favor of the Spaniard being free to participate at Roland Garros and end his career at his own pace.
This past week, Nadal played in what was probably his final Madrid Masters match. After losing in the round of sixteen, he shared a touching moment with the crowd and left the court. Despite having a strong campaign in Madrid, Rafael Nadal made it clear at the beginning of the competition that he wasn’t in peak physical shape for the French Open.
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However, Nadal stated in Madrid that he will play in Rome before attempting to qualify for the French Open.
Tsonga faced off against Nadal 14 games, finishing 4 times victorious and 10 times down against the Spanish player. Two of those 14 matchups took place on clay, and Nadal prevailed in both matches in straight sets.
Even though Tsonga was sure to win against Nadal, he would “pray” to avoid the Spaniard coming to French Open time. As she was revealing that, Tsonga related a story about how players used to make jokes about what would happen if they had to face Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier and lose the first two sets.
“Everybody is eager to see him. I’d like to see him. I didn’t want to see him for a very long time. Tsonga stated on Canal +, via We Love Tennis France, “We want him to go out in the best possible way, on the court fighting like he always did.”
“His 15 victories at Roland Garros… In fact, it’s so bad that I don’t even want to talk about it. To be honest, I felt that playing Nadal on clay presented the hardest challenge in tennis. It’s quite humorous; I can tell you a small story about it. We all prayed not to draw him before the draw. “Can you imagine that you walk onto the center court and, at the end of two sets, you still haven’t won a game?” we asked ourselves.
Nadal had a great feeling as he departed Madrid.
Some of Nadal’s remarks after the start of the Madrid Open suggested that he might have chosen to play at Caja Magica just out of a desire to not miss one of his favorite events in front of his home supporters.
Ultimately, Nadal’s body held up very well as the former world number one defeated world no. 11 Alex de Minaur 7-6 (6) 6-3 after crushing Darwin Blanch 6-1 6-0 in his opening set. Then, in a three-hour battle in the Madrid third round, Rafael Nadal defeated Pedro Cachin 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, thanks to his body responding effectively to very trying circumstances.
The day after the Cachin struggle, Nadal was back on the court and played well, but in the end, he lacked the strength to secure another victory as Lehecka defeated the Spaniard 7-5, 6-4.
“I managed to participate in four games, including a few challenging ones. It was very encouraging to win three games and participate in four high-level tennis matches. I had a great time playing at home. After his run in Madrid came to an end, Rafael Nadal commented, “I leave here with very positive energy.”
Nadal is hoping Rome can be as successful as Madrid was.
Nadal hoped to at least be able to complete his clay-season schedule after missing the Australian Open. Sadly, though, the Spaniard was unable to participate in the Monte Carlo Masters. He was able to compete in Barcelona and Madrid anyway, and he is currently scheduled to play in Rome, where he holds the record as a ten-time champion.
“In my career, that tournament holds great significance. I had fantasies of competing in all these competitions and winning them all again. I regrettably missed Monte Carlo, which is one of the most memorable for me, but I had a great time playing in Rome,” Nadal said.
In his eighteen Foro Italico appearances, Rafael Nadal won Rome in his tournament debut in 2005. Nadal had enormous success in those eighteen appearances, reaching twelve finals and claiming ten championships.
Even though Nadal may not have the highest expectations in Rome, he still hopes to compete well and have a successful final game at the Foro Italico.
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