Qualified for the semi-finals of Roland-Garros after a match ended at 1:26 am, the Spaniard regretted the programming and the weather conditions.
One record, one more. But it would have gone well. After having successfully completed 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-1 in 2:49 his quarter-final at 1:26 am on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday against the very promising Italian Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal has, in conference of press, mentioned the special conditions of this match with an entry on the court just a little before 10:30 pm. And a match point just before 1:30. From this “night session” which will be a milestone in the history of Roland-Garros, the world n ° 2 regrets: “Of course, it is not ideal to end a match at one and a half in the morning, but the problem this is the weather. This is the real problem. It’s too cold (12 ° at the start of the game, less than 10 ° at the end) to play, to be honest. I know soccer players play in such conditions, but it’s not the same, they are always running. We run, we stop, we take a break between each point: it is a sport where there are many interruptions. That’s why I think it’s a bit dangerous for the body to play in such conditions. Well, it’s life !”
» READ ALSO – Rafael Nadal’s longest day at Roland-Garros
And to launch, on the subject of a program which could not avoid the traffic jam: “I do not know why they decided to put five matches on the Chatrier in the same day. I think it was a risk they took. When I received the program yesterday (Monday), I thought to myself that it was likely that we would have extremely long matches (notably the 5:08 am marathon between Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem); That’s what happened. Well, I tried to be patient, to accept what was imposed on us. I tried to be positive and I won the game. ”
“Two weeks ago, he beat me in Rome, which will give him even more confidence”
Nadal sur Schwartzman
To quickly switch to the semi-final which will oppose him to the Argentinian Diego Schwartzman (seeded n ° 12) who has just beaten him in Rome (6-2, 7-5 in the quarter-finals): “This match will not be easy; when you’ve lost to an opponent, it’s because they’re playing well. And today (Tuesday) he played extremely well against one of the best on the planet, especially on clay. So I think he will be extremely confident. Two weeks ago, he beat me in Rome, which will give him even more confidence. I’am aware. I’ll do my best to play well on the court. I’m going to get over my game. I’m going to play aggressively. I will try to play differently compared to the match in Rome; I hope to be ready to play. And I can’t wait to face it and I will do my best to the end. I have two days left to train and improve the things that need to be done: that’s what I’m going to do. “
.
