Deux mille cinq, deux mille six, deux mille sept… the presenter goes on to explain Rafael’s record and his titles in Paris, just before he takes to the track. His voice is heard through the powerful speakers facing the interior of the Philippe Chatrier, but they go beyond its walls and can be heard perfectly throughout the enormous Stade de Roland Garros. Deux mille douze, deux mille treize, he continues to speak with increasing excitement and intensity, encouraged by the applause and shouting of the public awaiting his appearance from the imposing stands. Deux mille dix-huit, deux mille dix-neuf, the festive excitement and collective euphoria reach their peak when, after hearing his name, Rafael appears greeting the fans, very focused, however, on the match he is going to play. .
A few months ago, before the start of this season and sharing a tennis conversation with my little son and Rafael, at his academy, I told my nephew: “You have to make one last effort and finish your journey on the courts by going out the big door.” He turned to his cousin and, smiling openly, said: “Your father has been telling me the same thing for a lot of years.” And he was right, but when at the beginning of this year he had to return from Australia and repeated injuries prevented him from returning as desired, he began to contemplate his possible retirement and embrace the idea that this last great effort would have, as its main course, the clay court season, culminating in Roland Garros.
His wish was to be able to say goodbye to the public, especially in the cities that have been especially important in his career, and to arrive at them with the inertia of a minimum of matches under his belt that would allow him to adapt to the competition again. That was not possible either. The appearance of different problems that distorted these planned plans caused a race against time and growing uncertainty. He was not able to compete in Monte Carlo, although he did arrive in extremis to Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, where they bid him farewell very warmly and with immense displays of affection. In those tournaments his tennis was somewhat irregular and far, at times, from his best version but, once again and as he has always done, without exception, he has been showing increasing improvement that has culminated, as far as I know, in these previous days of training, at a level that gives rise to optimism.
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When on Thursday chance would have it that his rival in his most difficult debut in the Chatrier was Alexander Zverev, world number four and recent winner in Rome, the idea that luck continued to elude him occurred massively. I will not deny that the desirable thing would have been for his opponent to have been someone further back in the table. An easier progress throughout the first week would have led him to face the second with increasing confidence and to apply (in my opinion) to one of the candidates for the final. But I also stated from the first moment he found out, and this has been admitted by his opponent, the great German player, that luck has not been on Zverev’s side either. Nobody wanted to face Rafael. Neither Novak Djokovic, nor Jannik Sinner, nor Carlos Alcaraz.
The last confrontation between both tennis players at Roland Garros showed us the bitterest side of the sport. After a terrible sprain of his ankle (the images of which I cannot bear to see again), Alexander, who was playing tennis at the highest level, had to be removed from the court in a wheelchair with clear signs of pain and deep concern. So I hope that this Monday fate is not on the side of either of us and that we see a match that will make the public vibrate in a first round that is totally out of the ordinary. I have no doubt that the German will show, following his current trend, a very high version. But so will Rafael.
These days I have resumed that conversation with my son and I have told him what I truly think: that Rafael is not going to fail. I hope and trust that, if luck is with us this time, tomorrow will not be the last day in which I am moved to hear the voice of the magnificent presenter as he counts, one after the other, deux mille vingt, deux mille vingt-deux… all the years in which Rafael has lifted the Musketeers Cup.
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2024-05-26 03:15:00
#Roland #Garros #effort #Rafael #Tennis #Sports
