Rafael Nadal He opened his third tournament in a year and a half, with a hip operation in the middle and other physical problems as well. Like the recent abdominal one, which means you have to remove it with great caution. “It hasn’t hurt me, but I don’t know how much I can push, we will have to discover what the limit is,” he said after beating the world number 62, the Italian, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 25 minutes. Flavio Cobolli.
The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipasrecent champion of the Monte Carlo ATP Masters 1000 and three-time finalist in Barcelona, assured this Tuesday that Rafael Nadaldespite the inactivity, is the favorite.
Asked about it, the man from Manacori, 37 years old, was forceful: “It’s stupid, he knows it’s not like that.” He came from his soul, because in the current circumstances the uncertainty about what will happen the next day remains.
Although he understood that it was also a way for the Greek to respect the figure of Rafael Nadal in tennis in general and clay court in particular. “It is respect for what I have done in the tournament, there is a story behind it, but everyone knows that I am not the favorite,” said the Spaniard.
Regarding this label, “it is possible that it was today (Flavio Cobolli), although I swear I had no idea if it was. Tomorrow (Alex de Miñaur) I’m not, but it doesn’t matter either. “I have no idea how I will respond.”
Because “with all humility, tennis has never been a problem, it has been many other things. If I look at how I was a week ago, the change has been important.”
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He goes with the handbrake on because “the important thing is that nothing happens. This is not the week to push everything my heart tells me. You have to play as logically as possible, without crossing dangerous lines.”
Since “I don’t know how my body will respond,” if the physique will hold out. His priority is not to get injured at the beginning of the dirt tour, his return to the circuit. Let there not be a repeat of Brisbane in January.
“It’s like a jungle, you don’t know what you might find. The duel against De Minaur will have a rhythm that I don’t know if I’ll be able to follow, but we’re going to try,” he concluded.
2024-04-16 18:08:22
#Tsitsipas #stupid
