After eliminating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal, with emotion, retraced the path traveled in “the most important tournament” of his career.
1h15 in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Rafael Nadal slams a final backhand that leaves Novak Djokovic unresponsive. After 4:12 of a high-intensity match, the Spaniard has a new qualification for the semi-finals of Roland-Garros, his tournament. Half an hour later, cap firmly planted on his head, clear ideas, he comments on the event. With sobriety and the satisfaction of a job well done. There are two steps left, with a semi-final against Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal is not racing. Excerpts from the quiet press conference of a not satisfied player.
The match point: “It’s a special game to play against Novak. I felt emotions because for three and a half months, the only thing I can say is that it has not been easy. So. I’m not going to tell you about everything I’ve been through in the last few months because I have to keep moving forward, but it’s true that it’s been a bit of a weird three months with everything that’s going on. happened for me. But the team helped me to go forward, to continue, that’s what made this game, without a doubt, very special. »
The support of the Philippe Chatrier court: “The public has been incredible, since the start of the tournament, moreover. I don’t know what to say actually. I think they know, here, that I’m not going to be there, how to say, for a very, very long time. So playing here, the most important place for me, feeling the support of the crowd is hard to describe. I want to thank them. »
The look : “In Rome, I said my doctor would be here with me. The doctor is there. Which means that we can do things that can help. Now is not the time to talk about that. I told you we’ll talk about all this after my tournament is over. In any case, I gather everything I have to try to play this tournament in the best possible conditions. I don’t know what will happen next, frankly. But here, in any case, I think it will be fine. »
And now : “I haven’t won anything yet. I give myself the opportunity in two days (Friday) to come back to the ground, and play a semi-final at Roland-Garros, that means a lot to me. I have experience, I’m not the type of person who has ups and downs, roller coasters. I’m still emotionally stable, we’ll see how that goes. I take advantage of today because the night was magnificent for me, without a doubt, full of emotions too. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will start focusing on what I need to do to be ready for the semi-final. The main objective for me is to focus on my level of play, the one I played today (mardi). »
The GOAT: “Novak, Roger and I, we have a really incredible history together because we found ourselves face-to-face, in the most important matches, and for so long. This is what makes the story special and fills me with emotion. We always talk about who has done the most Grand Slams, who has the best results. For me, it doesn’t matter, what matters is the dreams we pursue. I believe that we have achieved our dreams, we are writing the history of this sport because we have done things that had not happened before us. The rest doesn’t matter to me. Which player will have the most Grand Slams, who will have written history better, in my opinion, when you look at the three of us, our level is almost the same, there is no difference, it doesn’t matter. »
Night sessions: “I can’t complain because now I have two days off. In any case, if we have a rest day afterwards, or like Zverev in Madrid in particular, he had to play the final the following day, in this case, it is a real problem. Of course, I understand. There is a part that is business in all this, I understand it well. There are all the televisions that pay a lot to watch these matches, late, in the evening or at night. The tournament wins money, the players win money. You have to find a good balance so that everything fits together as well as possible. Starting at 9 p.m., here on clay, in the best of 5 sets, it can be very long, but that’s how it is. »
