PARIS – Rafael Nadal accustomed to overcoming adversity. His whole year was attached to it – whether it was his chronic leg injury, a broken ribs or His own uncle Toni is trying to master his downfall.
But Nadal remains in control of his 2022 scenario, despite his five-set win end Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday stretched him to the max.
“I’m so grateful to play another year here,” said Nadal after the 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win. “Every game that I play here, I don’t want it to be my last at Roland Garros. I’m grateful for continuing to live the dream.”
There were times on Sunday when Nadal looked human. We’re not used to seeing him tested like this at this stage. It’s jarring. But then a shot into the net, and a hop, a skip, and three fist pumps, and everything was back to normal.
However, the reality is that Nadal’s 2022 season is far from normal. Nadal of 13 previous titles in Paris is now another player, a man who lives in constant pain and always hopes his body merges with the instincts of his mind on the court.
Somehow there is still a synergy that allows him to keep winning.
His victory at the Australian Open was absolutely ludicrous, as six weeks before the tournament began he talked about the possibility of retirement. But over the next two weeks, he took the lead over the rest to secure his 21st Grand Slam title. He continues to attend the Mexican Open, and with Djokovic’s schedule unclear at that stage, and Roger Federer absent, it looks like this will be Nadal’s year.
But again, the road took a twist, this time breaking a rib while at Indian Wells in March. He missed six weeks of the season.
He returned to the Madrid Open and clashed Carlos Alcaraz-wall size in quarterfinals. A week later, he talked about the pain he had to live every day after falling. Denis Shapovalov In Rome.
“I’m a tennis player living with injuries,” said Nadal. “So that’s it.” Unfortunately, my day to day is difficult. Of course, it’s hard for me to accept the situation, isn’t it? “
He said he had a dream, and that was to become Roland Garros – but he didn’t make any bold predictions.
Just like in Melbourne, expectations around Nadal were lower than usual when it came to Paris. But once one sees Nadal practicing on clay, all the usual labels we know from him are there. Sometimes he even smiles. Looks like he’ll be fine.
The first three rounds went as planned – winning consecutive rounds with Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet and Botic van de Zandschulp.
On Sunday on Philippe-Chatrier, he stepped out to be greeted by the incredible crowd. On screen is his incredible Roland Garros record: Win 108. Lose 3. The specter of Nadal’s victory is everywhere – even immortalized in a sculpture of him here.
But there’s something about this matchup against Auger-Aliassime that just doesn’t feel right. Maybe it was Uncle Toni watching – who coached Nadal from his teenage years until 2017, and is now coaching his opponent.
Toni Nadal said he would keep a low profile, but he was at the front row in his spotless white shirt like some kind of benevolent Roman emperor. He said in the interview, “I want Rafael to win. If he loses, it will be a less painful loss because the player I work with will win, but I don’t want to lie. anyone.”
The only time Toni Nadal moved in the first set was when Auger-Aliassime jumped up to perform an incredible back-to-back volley, which he politely applauded.
“I didn’t start the match well – it was a difficult first set,” said Rafael Nadal.
Auger-Aliassime snapped him twice to make it 3-1, and then 5-1, and took the first set. And when Nadal went wrong, there was a feeling in the stadium that perhaps the much-anticipated quarter-final between Nadal and Novak Djokovic will not happen; that everything we take for granted from Nadal on Chatrier is changing before our eyes.
Even Nadal’s various habits are distorted. At Roland-Garros, there are three more taps on his shoes to remove the dust-covered clay – first the right shoe, then the left, then the right again. Then there are strokes of hair, pulling of shorts, about 14 returns and serve. Prepared in advance, he laid out everything, put six bottles of his drink in the fridge behind the umpire and placed his towels at the ends – they were all correct, all stretched to a length. certain way. All are correct.
But this time he forgot to make a head. In the first round 1-1, he looked confused as he tried to find his towel, looking around to see if it would escape him. But he forgot to let those out. Nadal does not forget these things.
It looked like Nadal’s bid at Roland Garros here started to slip out of his hands, but then he prevailed, storming the next two sets. Auger-Aliassime was undeterred, as he forced it to fifth while Nadal struggled to read the young Canadian’s serve.
But Nadal is not yet ready to plunge into the dark. He’s gotten through the worse this year. The fifth set was more about experience, and Nadal’s muscular memory got him through. Toni Nadal stayed behind while his grandson danced around the court like when he was 20 again against his new patron.
Nadal will be relieved to get over this, and he will find out how much of an effect it has on his foot over the next 24 hours. And then there’s the Djokovic-shaped obstacle waiting in the quarterfinals. It will probably be an evening match, which Nadal doesn’t like: the conditions will be colder, the ball slower.
“I will try my best, I don’t know what will happen, but I will fight until the last minute,” said Nadal.
As Nadal demonstrated on a chilly Sunday afternoon on the Philippe-Chatrier court, it’s still his home and it will take a little effort to get the keys out of his hands.
