The Spanish tennis player, who beat Novak Djokovic in more than four hours, was happy with the victory, although he clarified that “I know I haven’t won anything, it’s only the quarters”. Similarly, the Manaco man looked into the question of his left foot injury: “we’ll see how it goes”. On the other hand, the defeated Serb said that “there have been more than four hours of fighting and I have to accept this defeat, Nadal has shown why he is a great champion”.
Rafael Nadal (world number five) and Serbian Novak Djokovic (first racket in the ATP rankings) played in an epic series of quarter-finals that, finally, the Spanish tennis player took.
A long and hard-fought victory, the Manacor tennis player still recovering from a rebellious left foot injury that did not prevent him from winning in four sets.
“I don’t know what will happen after this tournament. I have nothing to hide at my age. I have this foot injury and if we don’t find a solution, it’s difficult for me. For the moment, we have not found this solution. play the semi-finals It gives me a lot of energy for me and we’ll see how it goes here (left foot),” the Hispanic said after the win.
On top of that, the presence of his doctor on the court did not go unnoticed, to which the athlete replied, “I said in Rome that having my doctor here helps me do things . I will talk about it at the end of the tournament. I do everything to try to play in the best conditions.
About the duel in the semi-finals, where will face on Friday will face the German alexander zverev , Nadal replied that “I know that I didn’t win anything, it’s just the quarters. The only thing I did was give me the chance to be in the semis . It was a very nice evening for me and the goal is to maintain the level of tennis I had today”.
One of the controversies that surrounded the duel was playing until dawn in Paris, an unprecedented event in the history of Roland Garros. A situation that disturbed the Spaniards during the previous one.
“It’s late to play tennis, but I can’t complain because we have two days off. I understand the commercial part: television pays a lot to have these games so late, the tournaments win and so do the players,” Nadal said.
Praise of Nolé
Despite the defeat, Novak Djokovic He did not lose his temper and underlined the good level shown by his executioner during the second Grand Slam of the season.
“You only have to congratulate Nadal . I think he was a better player in important moments. It started very well. I didn’t start so well, 2-6, 0-3, double break. I was gaining momentum when I came back in the second set, I managed to win the second set and I was like, I’m back in the game. “, expressed the Balkan.
He also acknowledged that “I gave my best. I know I could have played better. I am proud to fight and to stay until the last point. Like I said, I lost to a better player today. I had my chances and I didn’t take them. That’s all. More than four hours of battle And I have to accept this defeat. Nadal showed why he is a great champion. Stay strong mentally and finish the game like him.” .
Jock
Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
