Rafael Nadal was irritated this Friday at a press conference. “I am going to face the most difficult conditions of my career,” said the world number 2 who is aiming for a 20th Grand Slam title.
Rafael Nadal was not smiling when he arrived in the Roland-Garros press room. Arrived from Spain, he trained on Thursday then followed this Friday on the Philippe-Chartier court. He didn’t like the experience very much. “The situation is strange for everyone, first mentioned the world number 2. The conditions have nothing to do with those of Rome. Here, it looks very hard. It’s so cold. They are almost extreme conditions. “
In Rome, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Diego Schwartzmann, it was 25 ° C. In Paris this Friday, it was 13 ° C when he trained with Filip Krajinovic. “It will be special this year. I will face the most difficult conditions of my career. But I am here to fight with the highest intensity possible. I am trying to be ready for Monday. I am going to go and get the positive vibes. . “
Nadal doesn’t like the new balls
Rafael Nadal has won the last three Porte d’Auteuil editions. His last two finals, he won them against Dominic Thiem. However, it was Novak Djokovic, the Serbian winner in 2016, who challenged him with words recently. “Novak Djokovic said that I was ” beatable ” on earth? It’s true. He beat me often on earth,” he replied, preferring to kick in touch with humility.
Asked about the change of balls (note: the FFT signed a contract with Wilson), the Mallorcan did not hide his dissatisfaction. “Yes, I had tested them before in Mallorca but they are slow, he said. In my opinion, it is not a good ball for clay. With the cold it can even be dangerous. It can cause injury to the elbow or shoulder. The organizers will have to take this into account in the future. But I accept the challenge. “
The Paris tournament table was released on Thursday while he was training with Alexander Zverev (seeded No.6). In the first round, Rafael Nadal will face Belarusian Egor Gerasimov (83rd ATP).
