'We knew exactly how Rafael Nadal was going to...', says former ace

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Will Rafael Nadal play Wimbledon 2022? After winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros, the Spanish champion declared that a nerve in his foot had gone numb due to Weiss-Muller syndrome, a degenerative disease that requires him to use painkillers and injections. After the French Open, Rafa was also seen on crutches, but his presence in the Championship remains very doubtful. Many came to think that his career was over after the discovery of this disease, but Nadal explained how he will continue trying to play. As for London, the heart would tell him to play, the mind would tell him to rest. Rafael Nadal himself returned to analyze what happened at Roland Garros, expressing his considerations on various issues. The Spanish champion was also recently interviewed by the Antena 3 television network. First observations about the physical problem: "Without a doubt, it is better to play like this than in pain. It is an issue that cannot be prolonged over time: having won the title, it is clear that he has been worth it. They numbed my foot with the anesthetic. In my opinion, it has an added value that allowed me to focus on the match and put aside everything I had to do to compete." Rafa spoke again about the quarterfinal match with his rival Novak Djokovic: "I don't always think about winning, in the end it was a match in which I wasn't the favourite. The reality is that I reached the quarterfinals after being able to win four games, so I came in with a little more training and that helped me."

Rafa doesn't know if he will play Wimbledon

Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander has praised Rafael Nadal for the changes he has made to his game over the years. "His tennis is much more entertaining than Djokovic's and Federer's. The older he is, the more I enjoy watching him play. We see that he trusts his variations more than when he used to at 22 or 23 years old," Wilander said. Wilander, who covered the French Open with Eurosport as a commentator, was so overwhelmed with the 36-year-old's game that he expressed his wish to stop commentating and just watch the Spaniard play. "Previously, there was a repetitive aspect to his game. We knew exactly how he was going to win most of the points and get the job done 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Now he creates uncertainty. What will he do next? It's like watching Federer when he was at his best. I no longer want to commentate on his matches, I just want to watch him play," Wilander said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/w2QpunK

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