Carlos Moya was Rafael Nadal’s companion for a thousand battles. He said that if he won the Roland Garros, it would be “most difficult”. Why? On May 12, when Denis Shapovalov defeated the Spaniard in round 16 of Masters 1,000 in Rome, the explanation must be found. It was a worrying loss because it was his first trip to Paris without a clay title. He was also limping off the court due to the chronic foot injury that has plagued them since 2004.
Roland Garros had slim chances of making a complete recovery. It was a race against the clock and against his body. Nadal admitted that a title is fine but that what I really want is happiness. The most difficult words Nadal spoke were “I would trade winning a final for a brand new foot”, which was the Spaniard’s most bitter and depressing statement.
It was utopia to think about winning the Fourteenth, leaving Rome. He sneered more at the drawing and picture. Similar to Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz, the best player on tour. He could meet the Serbian in quarterfinals, and the Murcian semifinals. It was utopia to think about the Fourteenth in Rome when he entered Rome. When he arrived in Paris, it was nothing more than madness.
It was a dramatic tale that Nadal wrote. This twist is a great way to end a wonderful year. His foot was changing everything. His season had been the best, with 20 wins consecutively and three titles (Melbourne Australia and Acapulco), and he was now looking forward to retirement. He said that you never know what his last Paris match could be, even more so before the quarterfinals against Djokovic. Fear of losing and not seeing Nadal again in Paris grew. The miracle happened when the faith in the Balearic Islands had fallen to its lowest point.
Triumph against Djokovic, revenge on the defeat in 2021, and blessing of Serbian. “I am not surprised by Nadal’s recovery. He has been through many times before, stated the one from Belgrade. With the number one losing and the certainty of that the quarterfinals defeat would cost him, he decided to move on to the fight to be the greatest in history.
The early final was won when Alexander Zverev, who had torn ligaments in his ankle in the semi-finals and Casper Ruud’s final match failed, was tragically injured. It wasn’t his fault. Before him, 13 brave men tried the same thing.
Many voices pointed to a retreat coming soon when Nadal raised Fourteenth. It was rumored that Nadal would hold a press conference Monday morning to announce some important news. It was immediately denied by his press officer. Roger Federer was not present for the Philippe chatrier, despite his fantasies that Nadal would be awarded the title at the trophy ceremony. Billie Jean King won twelve Grand Slams, and was a champion of equality in tennis. She gave her the Musketeers Cup.
With the track in front of him, he said that he would fight to be back here for as long as possible. Nadal, who just turned 36 two days earlier, arrives at Wimbledon carrying two Grand Slams, something that is unprecedented in his career.
Only he can predict his end. It won’t be as sudden as some thought. It will not happen immediately. He will need to take a break, recharge, and then dose again. He will need to stop, refresh, dose, leaving aside other important tournaments.
He always returns to happy places. Since his debut against Lars Burgsmuller on May 24, 2005, Nadal has only ever left Roland Garros four times. Three for loss, one for wrist injury. Paris is Paris, the place that Nadal is most attached to by happiness. This should last forever.
