Playing Tennis - At the Olympics, Nadal plans a triumphant comeback to Paris.
Rafael Nadal's father, Sebastián, paid a heartwarming homage to his son's legacy at the French Open before his first-round exit against Alexander Zverev. In a touching display, the 60-year-old approached the steel statue of the tennis icon at the Stade Roland Garros, carefully stroking his white hair and capturing the moment with a photograph.
The statue, which depicts Nadal in his signature topspin backhand, symbolizes his dominance at the clay court in the Grand Slam tournament for almost two decades. With his characteristic open mouth, powerful swing, and dynamic legs, Nadal became a fearsome force to be reckoned with on the clay courts at the French Open. However, despite this fierce display during his match against Zverev on Monday, it wasn't enough to snag a fifteenth and final French Open win. Even so, there's hope for a return to Paris.
As Nadal's career nears its end, his thoughts are set on the Olympic Games. He intends to part ways with the big tennis stage at the Stade Roland Garros' Olympic tennis tournament on clay, where he plans to compete one last time before leaving the tennis world for good. There's speculation he might sacrifice competitions like Wimbledon for this.
Nadal views the grass season as a formidable challenge: "I don't know if it would be so smart, after all that's happened to my body, to suddenly switch to a completely different surface and then return to clay." Next year's third Grand Slam tournament starts on July 1st, followed by the Olympic tennis tournament on clay beginning on July 27th.
Before then, Nadal has ambitions to challenge for the world's number one spot. After suffering a three-set defeat to Zverev, he remarked, "I wasn't that far away. That's my feeling and my truth." While Spanish media saw it as an "epic goodbye," Nadal himself appeared focused on his next steps.
Zverev believes Nadal might make a comeback next year, but if not, the German tennis player is eager to face him once more. "But in the final," he smiled. "In the first round, I'm not interested anymore. That's enough for me." While Zverev lost to Nadal, he was overwhelmed by the love and support Nadal received from the 15,000 spectators who attended, including his son Rafael junior, wife Xisca Perello, and fellow top-ranked players Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, as well as compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
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Source: www.stern.de
