Rafael Nadal may have been disappointed about not getting to play at Wimbledon this year but he has zero regrets about skipping the entire grass season as he believes that was the right decision considering the circumstances he was in.
After picking up an injury in his first comeback tournament, Nadal suffered setbacks in his recovery before returning to action in Barcelona in mid-April. But while the 38-year-old Spaniard was able to play in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, he clearly wasn’t pushing his body to the fullest on the court until the French Open – where he lost in straight sets to Alexander Zverev in the first round.
In his post-match press conference, Nadal indicated that he would very likely miss the grass swing and instead stay on clay so he could practice there for a month before the Paris Olympics. And after doing some hard work on the practice court and training, Nadal resumed action at this week’s ATP 250 in Bastad – which serves the Spaniard as his final preparation for the Olympics.
“I love playing tennis. After Roland Garros, it saddened me that I could only train for a week at the physical level I needed to give myself the chance to be competitive on the Tour. That’s why I decided to keep training, to see how my body reacted with the Olympics in sight. Skipping the grass season was the right decision,” Nadal said.
Nadal cracks a hilarious joke after his Bastad return starts with a win
On Tuesday, Nadal played his first singles match on the clay courts of Bastad in 19 years. And it was a victorious return for the Spaniard, who beat Leo Borg 6-3 6-4.
“I’m happy to play on clay here in Bastad and look forward to being at Roland Garros in two weeks for the Olympics, which gives me extra motivation,” Nadal noted.
A day earlier, Nadal also started his Bastad doubles run with Casper Ruud and they won their opener in two sets but only after two rain delays. But against Borg, Nadal didn’t have to deal with another rain delay – and that was something that made him happy.
“Great feelings. It’s true that there have been some on and off conditions in terms of weather, but we are lucky that we have been able to play the whole match without rain today. I’m happy for that,” Nadal said after his opening singles win in Bastad.
After making it clear that he was thrilled to be back in Bastad, 2005 Bastad champion Nadal joked that he was “the defending champion” since this is his first appearance at the tournament since his win 19 years ago.
“I’m defending the title,” Nadal joked.
“Playing in front of a full crowd like this means a lot to me. It gives me energy to keep practicing every day. Even in the tougher moments, I have been able to keep going with the help of the team. The fans have a huge impact on that. They give me an amazing energy. Today, I have to say thank you very much to the Spanish followers here, but especially the Swedish, since I haven’t been able to play here since a long time ago.”
Nadal praises Borg but also Carlos Alcaraz
When the Bastad draw was released and it was revealed that Nadal would take on Bjorg Borg’s son, the matchup instantly drew major attention – not because it was expected to be a showdown but more because 21-year-old Leo is the son of one of the best players in tennis history and he was taking on home soil against Nadal, who is also widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever.
And while Borg lost in straight sets, he was competitive – didn’t embarrass himself – and later earned praise from the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
“It’s a huge honor to play against the son of one of the biggest legends in the history of our sport,” Nadal said after beating Borg.
Also, Nadal acknowledged Carlos Alcaraz’s impressive Wimbledon and the 21-year-old Spaniard getting to four Grand Slam titles. When asked about Alcaraz, Nadal tipped the 21-year-old to be “one of the best in history.”
“My impression is that we are talking about a player who is going to be one of the best in history. That is my feeling. He is a player with great potential. Life can change quickly, that’s the truth. You never know what can happen in the future. But today if we have to predict what is happening in his career, we predict incredible things,” Nadal said of Alcaraz.
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