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Nadal is only allowed to celebrate his entry to the semifinals in Paris at 1:26 am Image: keystone
Nadal breaks his neck: “These conditions are dangerous for our bodies”
Only at 1.26am and with temperatures just above the 10-degree limit, Rafael Nadal converted his match point in the French Open quarterfinals against young Italian Jannik Sinner. Because five games were scheduled on the Philippe-Chatrier Court, which was equipped with a roof, and Diego Schwartzman needed 5:08 hours for his win against Dominic Thiem, Nadal’s game only started shortly after 10:30 p.m.
After all, the Spanish King of Arena prevailed in three sentences. In the success of 7: 6, 6: 4, 6: 1, the world number 2 had to fight more than she would have liked. In the first two sets, Nadal was left behind with a break before striking back and celebrating the 98th win in his 100th appearance in Paris.
After his night shift, Nadal was in no mood to celebrate. On the contrary: The “bull of Manacor” was visibly scratched in the post-match press conference. “It is dangerous for our bodies to play in these conditions,” Nadal criticized at 2 am in the sparsely occupied press room.
The problem is not the time, but the temperature. “It is too cold to play tennis. I know that footballers play in similar conditions. But that’s something different: you’re constantly on the go, while we always have breaks, ”says Nadal. “I really don’t know why they scheduled five games on center court. That was a huge risk. As soon as I saw the game plan, I thought to myself that today there could be extremely long games. That’s exactly what happened “.
The balls do not accept twist
The cold and damp conditions that prevail in the fall of Paris are anything but favorable for Nadal. Sinner has a lot of power and good shots. It was difficult for me because the ball just doesn’t spin in these places. That is why it was difficult for me to remove him from his post, ”said the twelve-time winner of the tournament.
Even before the tournament, Nadal had criticized the conditions and in particular the change of balls from Babolat to Wilson. The new felt balls are less “live” and jump less high than the old ones. Fall conditions also make the balls heavier and keep them even lower. Definitely a handicap to Nadal’s style of play, because his basic punches hit with a lot of spin don’t push the opponent off the court as usual.
Despite difficult tournament conditions, Nadal has yet to give up a set, but he doesn’t see himself as a big favorite for the semi-finals. Also because he goes against Diego Schwartzman, the only 1.70 meter tall Argentine surprisingly defeated Nadal in straight sets two weeks ago in similar conditions in Rome. “He has a slight advantage because he hit me last time. In addition, the conditions are better suited to his game, ”Nadal explained. (pre)
