Spain's Rafael Nadal (R) celebrates after defeating Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship Final at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, on December 21, 2019. (Photo by - / AFP)
Stefanos Tsitsipas lauded Rafael Nadal for achieving success despite having injury issues throughout the year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas wasn’t able to perform up to his expectations in the French Open. He lost in the 4th round to Holgas Rune, and it was a disappointing result for him. He made the French Open finals last year. Tsitsipas had a great chance of reaching there once again. He had a fairly easier path, but unfortunately, he failed in doing so.
One player who performed up to his expectations was Rafael Nadal. Despite playing through injuries, he was able to win the French Open quite easily, and it was a remarkable performance from him.
Tsitsipas recently heaped praise on Nadal ahead of Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal is the 2nd seed in this year’s Wimbledon. On the other hand, the Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas is the 4th seed this time around.
Tsitsipas said, “When he says he cannot play and he has foot problems, that’s where I feel like he’s the most threatening in terms of his performance. It’s actually reverse psychology in a way. I have a lot of respect for what he did at the French Open.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas is very impressed by the ability of Nadal to perform well despite playing through the discomfort. Rafael Nadal has won both the Grand Slams that have been played this year. Considering the fact that he still hasn’t been fully healthy yet, it has been quite a remarkable performance by the Spaniard.
Talking about Rafa, Stef said, “It kind of makes him feel like he’s immortal with the things he’s able to pull off. The matches, the level of intensity he’s able to reach in times where it’s very uncomfortable, it would be uncomfortable for most players to compete under these conditions.”
It’s very likely that Tsitsipas might face Nadal in this year’s Wimbledon. It will be great to see two clay-court specialists battle it out on the grass court.
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