“I Realised I Was Tired”: Rafael Nadal on Coping Up With French Open Loss to Novak Djokovic

There were quite a few interesting matches this season. However, the one that the people will remember for years and years to come was the match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the French Open 2021. The match ended in the Serbian star’s favor, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2. 

However, after the match, Nadal realized that he was fatigued and felt an injury on his foot. He is a 35-year-old player who has dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career. Nonetheless, he always found a way to bounce back to his winning ways. Although, the times are different now as he is much older.

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 The body becomes weak and at times the mind is active but the body can’t match up to the speed of the mind. Speaking about his loss against Djokovic, he said, “In mid-June, when I lost to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals, I realized I was tired. I decided to take a short break to recover. I’m not 20 years old. It’s important not to push yourself to the limit to prevent injury.” (Translated via Google translate)

Rafael Nadal fell victim to the Serb for the second time at Roland Garros 

It is a rare sight to see Nadal lose at Roland Garros. Djokovic has done it once previously but failed to go the distance. However, this year, he went on to win the title.

When these two athletes step on the courts it is a guaranteed fact that the match would be gruesome. And history only highlights this fact.

Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 11, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic with Spain’s Rafael Nadal before their semi final match REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Since his French Open exit, Nadal has barely played any tennis. He went to Washington ahead of the US Open Series but failed to impress after losing in the initial rounds. Rafa then flew back home in order to cure his foot. Soon after, he ended tennis for this year. We hope to see him fully fit for the upcoming 2022 season. 

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