Didier Deschamps was also amazed when Marie-Jose Perec pulled the match that will captivate the tennis world in the coming days out of the Coupe de Mousquetaires: Alexander Zverev against Rafael Nadal. The Olympic champion against the clay court king. The re-edition of this memorable semi-final duel that pushed Nadal to his limits in 2022 and Zverev beyond. The German was pushed from the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris in a wheelchair – into an uncertain future.
Today, two years later, the situation has changed. After his victory at the Masters in Rome, Zverev (27) is one of the favorites for the French Open title, while Nadal (37) is no longer even one of the seeded players. The Spaniard, 14-time champion at Roland Garros, has fallen to 276th place in the world rankings after numerous injuries, but should never be underestimated in his clay court kingdom.
Football world champion Deschamps knew that, three-time Olympic athletics champion Perec knew that – and Zverev himself knows that too. “Rafa will play much better than in Madrid or Rome, I’m sure of that,” he said after his triumph in the Foro Italico. There, Nadal had performed far below his extraterrestrial potential, which had made him the greatest clay court player in tennis history.
“When you talk about Roland Garros and Nadal is there, he is always the biggest favorite for me,” said defending champion Novak Djokovic at his dress rehearsal in Geneva: “After everything he has done on the courts at Roland Garros “It’s normal to see him as the biggest favorite.” Of course, Nadal’s level before Paris was “a little different” than usual, said Djokovic, “but it’s Roland Garros, and it’s Nadal.”
2024-05-23 15:36:00
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