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A very different training from the rest. Rafael Nadal14-time winner of Roland Garros and whose participation is not confirmed six days before the start of the tournament, jumped onto the Philippe Chatrier this Monday for his first session in Paris, in front of some 6,000 enthusiastic people in the stands.
Nadal had not stepped foot on the Parisian clay court since his victory in the 2022 edition against Casper Ruudwhen he was able to lift the trophy despite several physical problems, including an anesthetized left foot to calm the pain due to the chronic illness he has suffered since he was 18 years old (Müller-Weiss syndrome).
The winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments jumped to the center to train, acclaimed by thousands of people who had come to the venue to exclusively follow the first day of the qualifying phase on the other courts. Five minutes before the announced time of their training, the “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” They were heard in the Chatrier, theater of its 14 crowns.
Nadal, about to turn 38, failed to recover his level after spending 2023 regenerating his physique, hampered by injuries. In recent weeks he played in the round of 16 in Madrid and lost in the second round in Rome.
In his messages to the media he insisted that will not compete at Roland Garros if you do not consider yourself ready. The Roland Garros main draw starts this Sunday and the draw takes place on Thursday, so its decision is almost imminent.
Perhaps the popular fervor that was created over his more than probable last presence in the tournamentwith a spectacular atmosphere this Monday under the retractable roof of the plant – it was raining in the French capital – and the wink of the ‘speaker’ when he entered the court: “A Spaniard who is quite well known here in Paris,” according to the AFP agency.
In the first minutes each of his blows was accompanied by the clamor of the public. In a corner of the court, the tournament director Amelie Mauresmo and the Spanish coach, the former world number 1 Carlos Moya.
In the presidential stands, the tournament’s ball catchers crowded together so as not to miss the event. Nadal shared training with his coach Marc Lopezformer tennis player with whom he won gold in doubles in Rio de Janeiro 2016, and a ‘sparring’ French, Vivien Cobos. He exercised for an hour and 45 minutes, a little longer than expected, finishing before 7 p.m. local time.
The legend showed more intensity from the first hour, also dedicating time to service, without the precautions he showed in Madrid at the end of April.
After training, Nadal signed autographs and then disappeared through the tunnel that leads to the locker rooms. The practice allowed Nadal to get a feel for the surface of Roland Garros, where he had not played in two years, and to test his physical condition.
His recent defeat in his second match at the Italian Open (6-1, 6-3 against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz) left the great champion with doubts about competing in Paris.
Rafael Nadal, in action, on the center court in ParisEurasia Sport Images – Getty Images Europe
“If I have to say which way I lean, it is to try to play it and give my best,” Nadal said a week and a half ago. “I couldn’t not play the most important tournament of my life,” he said.
In any case, Nadal has not yet definitively confirmed whether he will compete in the French Open, where he would enter the final draw with a protected ranking. The expectation is that this will be the Mallorcan’s last year on the tour, and therefore his farewell to the tournament in which he shone the most.
He conquered Roland Garros for the 22nd major title of his career, the second most in history behind Novak Djokovic’s 24.
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2024-05-21 01:42:00
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