There are many opinions about Rafael Nadal’s exploits at Roland Garros. Gilles Simon has long been one of the most interesting players on the men’s circuit, also for the comments he gives off the court.
The French veteran had to express opinions against the grain when he found himself talking about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. On October 28, the first book will be released, in which “Gillou” documents his life during the tour and his thoughts on sensitive topics.
In particular, the WeLoveTennis.fr site published an excerpt from the book a few days after Nadal’s 13th success at Roland Garros. Referring to the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Simon has severely criticized the work of the French Federation over the past decades.
The last transalpine to win in Paris was Yannick Noah in 1983. Since then, only Henri Leconte has reached the final in the French capital 32 years ago.
Gilles Simon on Rafael Nadal
“As of this writing, Rafael Nadal has won 12 Roland Garros by returning eight meters behind the baseline and with rounded trajectories,” wrote Gilles Simon.
“If he had gone through the French federal structure, we would probably have changed it in every way” Gilles Simon seemed grateful that Rafael Nadal’s career had unfolded as it has been, while calling it phenomenal.
“Certainly, one could argue that it would have changed for the better, nobody can know that,” Simon continued. “But let’s just say that as it stands, the least we can say is that his career is phenomenal, right?” In a recent interview, the former world number 1 spoke of his record: “The numbers should be analyzed by people with a good knowledge of the history of tennis.
Honestly, that doesn’t matter much to me. I am happy with my career. At the moment it is clear that I am one of the two (bigger players). We’ll see what happens in the next few years: what Djokovic will do, what Federer will do when he returns and what I will continue to do.
If all goes well, we will have time to analyze it at the end of our career. Federer and I have had a very good relationship for many years. We have great admiration for each other.
We have shared many of the most important moments of our careers by competing against each other, to the point of creating a rivalry that has gone beyond the limits of tennis.
We appreciate it and experience it in a special way. Catching him at 20 slams means a lot, it’s a great honor. It’s a wonderful thing. ”
