Roland Garros and the Olympic event had been his two most important targets in 2024, however the end result was disappointing in each instances for a number of causes. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was not significantly fortunate within the draw on the French Open, having needed to face Alexander Zverev already within the first spherical.
Nadal© Instagram Davis Cup
The Spaniard performed an excellent match towards the German ace, who reached the ultimate, however his degree was not excessive sufficient to attain the feat on the long-lasting Philippe Chatrier. Rafa tried to win one other medal on the Olympics over the summer time, taking part in each singles and doubles alongside his younger compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, however failed to attain his aim. In singles his run ended within the second spherical towards his everlasting rival Novak Djokovic, additionally as a result of an damage suffered on the eve of that match, whereas in doubles the run of the 2 Spanish champions stopped within the quarterfinals.
After pondering his future for a very long time, the previous world #1 introduced that the Davis Cup Finals could be the final official occasion of his wonderful profession. Nadal practiced onerous within the following weeks and confirmed up in Malaga nicely upfront, giving good indicators in the course of the observe classes.
Spain captain David Ferrer determined to subject him in singles within the tie towards the Netherlands, a selection that turned out to be incorrect. Rafa gave his finest as at all times, however was defeated by Botic van de Zandschulp in straight units. That defeat conditioned the tie and condemned Spain to a untimely elimination within the quarterfinals.
A brand new documentary
As everybody is aware of, Rafa would be the protagonist of a documentary on Netflix that will likely be launched subsequent 12 months and which can reveal many unpublished particulars concerning the profession of the Spanish legend. Within the meantime, followers can watch the brand new documentary titled ‘Nadal, the King of Paris’ which will likely be broadcast on Eurosport on December 26.
Nadal and Djokovic© Stream screenshot
“You could feel that if he was able to do that in his first time in Paris, that will mean that maybe I was thinking in very optimistic way, he could win five, six Roland Garros. That would have been a great record. Of course, we were very wrong about it” – Alex Corretja said within the documentary.
Corretja also reflected on Rafa’s battles against Swiss Roger Federer and Serbian Novak Djokovic in Paris: “Roger Federer was the king. He was the proper participant. He was the class, you recognize, the category.
Then on clay, finest of 5, towards Rafa, he was his worst nightmare. I’ve to confess that that day I felt prefer it couldn’t be doable what we noticed.
Djokovic was the one one who might rise to this problem, as a result of he realized that it was doable, as a result of he had the psychological energy that few gamers have, and he had extra belongings than Roger Federer, as a result of Djokovic was full, he knew the way to play all over the place.”
The King of Clay
Over the years, Nadal has developed into a very competitive player on all surfaces. However, there is no doubt that red clay is the surface on which it marked an era. Facing Rafa on red clay, particularly at the French Open, was one of the biggest challenges in modern sport.
The Philippe Chatrier court was the ideal court for his game, he had no weaknesses there and triumphed 14 times, a record that is unlikely to ever be broken. It is no coincidence that the former world number 1 won the last title of his legendary career at Roland Garros in 2022, thanks to a simply memorable run.
Rafael Nadal, 2024 Paris Olympics © Stream screenshot
The Spaniard had arrived in Paris with a critical foot damage and was not even certain if he would play, however he underwent an infiltration and performed the entire event along with his foot anesthetized. The 22-time Grand Slam champion defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in 5 units within the spherical of 16, earlier than beating Nole Djokovic within the quarterfinals towards the percentages.
Rafa ‘benefited’ from the intense damage suffered by Zverev within the semifinals, earlier than dominating Casper Ruud within the remaining. A very sensational triumph that left the entire world speechless and confirmed the indissoluble bond between Nadal and pink clay.
