Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts after losing a point during his match against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 9, 2024. smiled. He joked. He sounded upbeat. He’s been playing well and feeling better in practice.
“Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the later stage of the tournament, but it is how it is now. He is unseeded this year; I am seeded,” Zverev said. “You know, it’s a tough draw, but it’s a tough draw for both of us. We’ll see how it goes.” Zverev is coming off a title in Rome and might be a popular pick as the most talented player yet to win a Grand Slam trophy. He was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open and was at the top of his game two years ago at Roland Garros, when he took on Nadal in the semifinals but had to stop after tearing ligaments in his right ankle and was taken out of Court Philippe Chatrier with a wheelchair.
“For me, in my mind, I’m going to play peak Rafa Nadal. That’s what I expect him to be. I expect him to be at his absolute best,” Zverev said. “I expect him to play the best tennis he’s played in a long time on this court.” And while Nadal has often intimated retirement is beckoning, he said Saturday that he doesn’t “want to close, 100%, the door,” because he is enjoying playing tennis, he likes traveling with his wife and young son and, he added, “I was not able to explore yet the proper way how I will be able to play, being in, again, more or less healthy conditions, playing without limitation.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: espn - 🏆 731. / 51 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: espn - 🏆 731. / 51 Read more »
Rafael Nadal Received Huge Ovation Upon Arriving at Likely Last French OpenIt sounded like Nadal just won his 15th French Open title instead of just arriving to a practice session.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »