Rafa Nadal ready to compete at the French Open
Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya, believes the Spaniard will endure five-set matches and is confident that he will have a “great Roland Garros.”
The countdown to Roland Garros started for Rafa Nadal last Saturday, after his defeat in the second round of the Rome Masters 1,000 against the Polish Hubert Hurkacz.
The Spaniard returned home and started preparing at his academy, in Manacor, to participate in the French Open. If there aren’t any surprises, he will travel to Paris next week. He has been training with the world No. 26 Tallon Griekspoor since Wednesday.
“I received a message from Carlos Moya (Nadal’s coach) asking me if I wanted to come train. This is special, considering the moment he’s in. I have never played against him nor have we trained together,” said the Dutchman, who is helping the 22-time major champion while benefiting from Nadal’s experience and talent.
Nadal’s team admitted “the idea is to go (to Paris).” “We haven’t decided anything yet, but it’s in his hands. We are preparing thinking that there are still two weeks left. We need to see how the next training sessions will go,” Moyá told IB3 Televisio.
“I think there has been an evolution since Barcelona on a physical and mental level, but, especially, when it comes to having certain guarantees of being able to play in five-set matches”, Moya revealed.
Nadal, grateful for his career in an interview with Federer
Meanwhile, Nadal joined tennis legend Roger Federer in an advert for Louis Vitton to talk about some of the best moments of their careers.
“In the end, what will make me feel really proud and happy is, when I leave this world, if the tournament directors, the people who work on the tournaments, staff, ATP, say good things about who I was on the tour or who I am as a person more than as a tennis player”, Nadal said.
“Because as a tennis player, we have the titles, we have the accomplishments and that’s how it is. I achieved more than I ever dreamed about. So, for me in the end, the legacy as a human being, after achieving all the things that we achieved, I think for me, is the most important thing”, he added.
Nadal will be looking to lift his 15th French Open title in Paris, although winning the trophy would probably be the biggest challenge of his career given his circumstances. After the Paris event, it’s uncertain where the Spaniard will play next. However, what seems a sure thing is that he will participate in the Olympic Games, where he hopes to team up with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles event.