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Rafael Nadal Acknowledges French Open 2021 Delay Would Perturb Wimbledon Championships Preparation
Rafael Nadal has opened up about the effects of the one-week postponement on his French Open preparations. The 34-year-old Spaniard, who is currently contesting at the Madrid Open 2021, claimed that there would be no drastic change.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion came to the Spanish capital as the Barcelona Open winner. He will be chasing his record-extending sixth title in Madrid, starting from the second-round match against 17-year-old compatriot Carlos Alcaraz or Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
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Rafael Nadal on the postponement and his French Open 2021 preparations
In the pre-event press conference, Rafael Nadal answered that it is too early to talk about his Roland Garros preparations. But later on, he explained that as far as he is concerned, there will not be a significant difference.
He said, “I can tell you in one month I can’t tell you now no… I don’t see a big difference between one or the other thing, for me personally, like in terms of preparations, for the tournaments.”
Last year, the French Open shifted from May-June to September due to the coronavirus outbreak. Even then, the Spaniard did not fail to retain his crown and won his 13th title at Roland Garros.
“Of course, in the past, the other way worked very well for me, but last year worked well, and it was completely different. I don’t know, I mean, the situation is how it is around the world,” Nadal said.
However, the one-week delay has closed the gap between French Open and Wimbledon to two weeks, and the Spaniard highlighted that as the biggest concern.
“The only thing that is a little bit less positive is we have one week less between Roland Garros and Wimbledon. That is the main issue, more than about the preparations, for me personally, for Roland Garros. I don’t think it’s going to make a big change,” the Spaniard concluded.
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Who are Nadal’s biggest threats in the Madrid Open 2021?
Five-time champion Rafael Nadal is the top seed and will inarguably stay the favorite as long as he remains in the tournament. But this time around, his side of the main draw will be a mammoth challenge for him to go past.
After the second round, Rafa will probably meet Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Dominic Thiem. Unquestionably, he will need to stay at the top of his game to win his sixth title in Madrid.
Above all, the two following weeks will bring high-quality tennis from the Spanish capital. It remains to be seen who endures the test and lifts the title on 9th May.
Do you think Nadal will yet again win in Madrid?
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