Rafael Nadal has qualified, this time with suffering, for the fourteenth time for the semifinals of Roland Garros after defeating Diego Schwartzman for 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and 6-0.
The proof that he had to squeeze himself to the maximum is seen in a data: he raised the speed tip of his serve to the 200 kilometers per hour.
Nadal’s games in Paris usually had the only question of knowing how many games the Spaniard was going to lose. Because it is known that he will win the draw and each of the three sets played. The script, for a day, changed.
In the quarters today Schwartzman is measured, in a Philippe Chatrier, which, finally, looked like a ‘Grand Slam’ center court. Up to 5,000 people were able to meet as the protocols in France softened this Wednesday.
The fans interpreted the duel as a David against Goliath and quickly took off their masks once they applauded Rafa’s infinite resume at the French Open. “Diego, Diego, Diego“, it sounded.
Schwartzman lifted the first two break balls in the fourth game. They chain five points to maintain equality.
Nadal pardoned once. Won’t do it a second. In a seen and not seen, the score was already 4-2. Diego, the shortest tennis player in the ‘top100’, clung to the sand with the spirit of Maradona and his idolized Juan Romn Riquelme. He returned the break immediately after to place the 4-3.
What happens is that the king of the earth does not give truce. His 105 triumphs at the Bois de Boulogne are not a myth. A second ‘break’ led him to the first set.
Nadal wins and convinces. Schwartzman took the lead for the first time with 1-0 afterwards. And he took a liking to him because he managed to send 3-0.
If there is a tennis player capable of recovering such an adverse result at Roland Garros, his name is Rafa and his last name is Nadal. They put the workers to work. Point by point. Game to Game. Reacted like a great. He summed up the next three games and told his opponent: ‘I’m back.’
‘El Peque’ did not wrinkle and rested with 5-4 to sign the tables. The shout of “Diego” in the stands was almost unanimous. Nadal was nervous so much noise against him and delivered his serve when nobody expected. The fault was a double fault, when he dominated the tenth round 30-0, and a fall in the last point with a comfortable balloon.
Attendees had witnessed a historic moment live. The 20 ‘majors’ champion has not given up a set in the tournament since May 9, 2019 in the final that crossed him with Dominic Thiem.
It was a moral blow for a born winner. It remained to be seen what his reaction was going to be. The most worrying thing for Rafa was that Schwartzman began to win the service games with relative ease, always trailing behind in scoring.
Nadal failed at what he does best: finish off plays in the middle of the court. A meter behind the white line was leaving all the initiative to the Argentine, who was rubbing his eyes like three years ago. In 2018, also in the quarters, he interrupted a sequence of 37 sets won by manacor.
Rafa asked for explanations but without losing face to the game. The shots that usually clean the lines were leaving him.
The moment of truth was approaching and the Spaniard regained the path of victory with his most offensive version and how forgotten he was. He broke in the ninth game and Diego finished after a balloon that left one meter.
Nine games chained Nadal to put the direct towards the triumph . The nerves had become calm. And he found the rosco 111 of his career, the 42 within a great stage.
Ahead are Jimmy Connors (195), Guillermo Vilas and Ivan Lendl (146), Manuel Orantes (115) and Andre Agassi (113).
If Rafa was looking for a test before the great battle, he has already had it. Wait in the semifinal on Friday for the winner of the match to cross tonight to Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini.
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