“It is too late, without a doubt,” said Nadal. He had requested not to go ahead with the evening session.

“I can’t complain because we have two days off now but if you only have one day off, or like [Alexander] Zverev had in Madrid when he had to play the final the next day, then it’s a big issue.”

“I understand the other part of the business, without a doubt, that television pays a lot of money. We need to find a balance.”

Djokovic believed the same as he appreciate the grace of Nadal’s tennis in the tough moments of the game.

“I think they are starting too late. But TV decides, that’s the world we live in,” said Djokovic.

“He was just able to take his tennis to another level in those particular moments in the beginning of all sets, except the fourth…”

“I had my chances but he showed why he’s a great champion, staying mentally tough… he deserved it.”

Rafael Nadal now inches closer to winning this year’s French Open. Only time will tell whether the King of Clay gets his hands on the trophy.

YouTube Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7vnjuYW8dE

“It’s so difficult to talk in my position because from one point of view, I have a good relationship with Sascha (Zverev)– I like him and I practice with him very often,” Nadal said.

“I wish him all the very best and he knows that he was wrong, honestly, and he recognized that very early.

“So that’s a positive thing in his side, in my opinion.

“On the other hand … if we’re not able to control and create a rule or or a way to penalise this type of attitudes a little bit in a stronger way, then we as a players, we feel stronger and stronger all the time.

“We need to be a positive example, especially for the kids watching us.

“So from one side, I don’t want a penalization for Sascha because I like him and I have very good relationship with him.

“In the other hand … I’d like to see something harder for this kind of attitudes, not only him, I mean in general terms because this protects the sport and protects the referees.”

Nadal meanwhile is relishing the opportunity of another campaign in the Californian desert, where he has won three times in the past.

The Spaniard has enjoyed a blistering start to 2022, going unbeaten at 15-0 as well as snaffling his record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

“It was an unexpected moment for me to be in this position,” Nadal said.

“I’m enjoying it every day and trying to stay with the right attitude to enjoy the fact that I’m playing well and enjoying matches and winning titles.

“I have been able to find a way to adapt my game to what I need to be competitive – some days being more aggressive, some days being more tactical, more defensive.

“Then I have been brave enough to play with the right determination in the moments that I needed.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZD7iif4ei4

This year saw a lot of competitive battles in Tennis, with many exhilarating matches between the best of today and the best of yesteryear. The competition was thrilling and kept users at the edge of their seats. 

However, all of these stars got a chance to show their humorous side outside of the court by voting for who is nicest and the best looking of the lot. Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov was in favor with all the stars in this regard, as many seem to have picked him out for the laurel. 

In a recent video shared by Tennis TV, stars from across the globe were asked about the best looking player on Tour. Earlier, when these stars were asked about the nicest ATP player, Grigor Dimitrov came out as the surprise winner. However, this time around the Bulgarian was praised by all colleagues and opponents. The funny video saw all of the tennis stars compliment Dimitrov and mention how he is the best in business when it comes to looks. 

While currently all tennis stars are on a vacation to get some well deserved rest, they were part of a video by ATP, talking about the best looking player on Tour. There were no doubts whatsoever for John Isner, Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal, all of whom mentioned that Grigor is everyone’s love. Grigor, who is currently dating the beautiful model Nicole Scherzinger, comes from Bulgaria and has attractive facial features. 

Alexander Zverev, who was the ATP winner in London, mentioned that ‘everyone loves Grigor,’ because of how cool and good looking he is.  

Tennis ace Roger Federer was also asked this same question, and he thought about it before picking Jeremy Chardy. Milos Raonic, who was the Wimbledon finalist in 2016, chose Feliciano Lopez as the best looking.

Grigor enjoyed a brilliant 2017, but lost momentum during this year. After a great 2017 that saw him reach a career high ranking of 3^rd, Gregor has now gone all the way down to 19^th. Grigor has prioritized a comeback now and can be seen in Monte Carlo, hitting the courts and the gym concurrently. He is expected to start the 2019 season with a tour of Brisbane soon. 

According to Todd Woodbridge, the former Australian tennis star, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the perfect role models for all sportsmen to follow. Woodbridge suggests that the two stars are still topping the ATP rankings, in spite of being in the latter years of their illustrious careers. While it is true that Federer has moved past his peak days, what made the former Australian tennis star make such a claim about Nadal—aged 31—is shocking for all. Sure, Nadal is not at his peak anymore, but it would be foolish to suggest that he is at the end of his career as well.

Woodbridge’s statement would have been completely justified, had it been about tennis, as a sport only. However, when you consider how Woodbridge has claimed that both, Federer and Nadal, transcend all sports, you cannot help view the statement as a cheap publicity stunt. On top of that, Todd Woodbridge also decided to go all Shakespeare with his statement by saying that you need to lay your soul bare in the pursuit of being as good as you possibly can. He, then, went on to comment on how Federer lays his sole bare with his emotions and how Nadal does with same with his physicality.

However, to act as if these two are the only sporting superstars who lay their soul bare would be nothing short of a joke, especially when you consider the other sporting giants—such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—who have been known by people, all around the world, to inspire greatness, awe and magic. On top of that, regardless of which sport you talk about, it is a fact that no sportsman will ever match the legacy left by the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. It is good to live in today—as Woodbridge does—but then you have got to remember not to make such erroneous claim or else you will making a fool out of yourself—which Woodbridge did.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_8_U3JxeE

Those who follow tennis would that Alexander Zverev has made his way to the fourth spot in the ATP rankings, owing to how the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had been going through their own injury scares. When you take this into perspective, the fourth spot does not appear to do justice to Zverev’s caliber, considering how he should be featuring much, much lower on the rankings, especially in light of his latest statement.

According to Alexander Zverev, he was glad to not have been drawn in the same group as Rafael Nadal, in the Monte Carlo Masters, considering how he had been defeated by Nadal in the Davis Cup. The reason that Zverev gave to back his statement comprises of how he believes Nadal to be the best tennis player to ever grace the clay court. With such an attitude, it’s no surprise that Zverev has lost the final in Rome in the manner that he has—straight sets.

If Nadal was in his usual fire breathing, a case COULD have been made for backing Zverev’s claim of fear. However, when you consider that Nadal had been out of the court since his hip injury in October, you have got to say that Zverev should have been begging the stars to let him come up against Nadal as early in the competition as possible.

If Zverev is afraid of a Nadal who is just returning from a serious injury, you have got to say that he does not deserve the title of the world’s fourth ranked tennis player, at all. Moreover, Zverev felt that he and Nadal will meet in the finals. Well, we all saw what happened in Rome, didn’t we? Zverev was out of his depth when in the same court as Nadal. Fortune certainly never favors the fearful and those who CHOOSE live under someone’s shadow, even if that someone is as great as Rafael Nadal!

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gry5A8a5ajU

We all know how Roger Federer recently decided to bow out of the clay court season, hoping to make up at the Wimbledon, right? The step would have been understandable if Federer had an injury scare, but when you consider how Federer is only ditching the clay court for the sake of “self-preservation”, it has got to raise a few eye-brows, especially when you consider his age. What Roger Federer needs to realize is that he is not getting any younger, meaning that he needs to win as many titles as possible, before his illustrious career comes to a close.

Federer, in this regard, needs to learn a trick or two from Rafael Nadal. Nadal recently participated in the Monte Carlo Masters, which is a tournament that he has already won ten times. Nadal has, freshly, recovered from an injury, yet he is determined to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the eleventh time. It would have been much easier for Nadal to sit this one out and target the Wimbledon, similar to Federer, but he refrained from doing it, regardless of how lacking in glamor his possible win at the Monte Carlo Masters might be.

It is true that Rafael Nadal has had to deal with a fair share of injuries, throughout his career, but the fact remains that Nadal is nothing short of an example when it comes to self-motivation, determination and heart. Federer, especially at the twilight of his career, needs to borrow a little heart from his adversary if he is to make his last years on the tennis count memorable for not only himself but his entire fan base, around the world, as well. The world wants MORE of Roger Federer!

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97AIaeE1WAQ

The usage of the word “fitness” in a sentence involving the name of Rafael Nadal is a bit too familiar for tennis fanatics, considering how the Spaniard is always in the news, not only for his magnificent performances but injury scares as well. Nadal, recently, fell prey to another injury that has kept him out of the tennis court for quite a few months. Regardless of how he might be ranked number one in the sport, in spite of not having hit a ball in months, it is a fact that Nadal’s career is going downhill.

Bearing all of this in mind, the fact that Rafael Nadal will be headlining a video game should not be a surprise for anyone, considering how he is still one of the most beloved icons of the game. However, the question arises: would the current “world number one” not prolong his career by focusing more on his fitness on the “real” tennis court, rather than choosing to headline video games? Nadal is 31 years old, and if he is to challenge Roger Federer’s tally of Grand Slam titles, he is going to have to get a hold of his fitness…fast!

While Nadal will always be fully fit in the video game, it is a fact that the feat won’t be repeatable in the world that matters, especially when you consider how the player is unable to go even a few months without catching a niggle, here or there. Taking this into perspective, it has to be said that Nadal should quit worrying about being remembered because of a video game and get running on the path of ensuring that he is remembered as the player with the most Grand Slam title. All he needs to do is take a page from the book of his biggest adversary: Roger Federer!

We all know Novak Djokovic for the feats he pulls off on the tennis court, right? I mean, who could forget the 2012 Australian Open Final, which lasted for almost six hours, before an exhausted Djokovic emerged victorious. Regardless of how phenomenal that match between Nadal and Djokovic might have been, it’s a surprise that Djokovic is using it to justify his injury stricken 2017.

In a recent tweet, Novak Djokovic blamed that final for the fact that he and Nadal are in need of rehabilitation after the injuries that they suffered in 2017. Not only that, he went on to comment on how Roger Federer now has a chance to usurp the title of number one tennis player in the world, all because Nadal had to go through that fateful match back in 2012.It’s a surprise that Djokovic claims that the match had lasting impacts on him and Nadal, especially when you consider how much younger the two tennis stars were back in 2012.

To claim that the only reason why Federer—one of the greatest of all time—has got a chance of becoming number one again is Nadal’s injury, would be absolutely preposterous. Federer is 36 now and still less prone to injury than Nadal and Djokovic, who are supposedly in their prime. Both Djokovic and Nadal need to take lessons on fitness from Roger Federer, instead of moping about how a match has had lasting impact on them. It’s a fact that only the fittest survive!

When you speak of Rafael Nadal, you already know how great of a tennis star he is. However, another set of words that has been associated with Nadal’s name is “injury prone”. Yes, Rafael Nadal is probably the most injury prone star in the circuit, currently. Therefore, when you hear that Nadal has made claims of beating Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record, you cannot help but laugh at the mockery that the Spaniard is making out of himself.

Nadal might be four years younger than Federer, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he cannot even come close to the high standards of tennis fitness that the 36 year old veteran has managed to maintain. Continuing his dominance, Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title after he beat Marin Cilic in the final of the Australian Open. And what was Nadal doing while Federer was hunting for the gold? Well, he was out injured…again!

It is one thing to be optimistic and self confident, but with Nadal, it’s more a case of being delusional than self confidence. Unless Nadal could, somehow, swap his fitness and consistency with Federer’s, it’s almost a certainty that his trophy cabinet won’t even be close to Federer’s, by the time both of these stars decide to hang their shoes!

Croft continues to defend Nadal’s technique and said that he has perfect positioning on the court which helps his volleys a lot. For some reason, Rusedski seemed to be denying Croft’s statement. Greg and Croft have been known for their childish and unnecessary arguments but this was a little different.

While Greg did not want to admit it, Nadal’s game was enthralling enough to make him utter words in favor of Croft. Greg Rusedski tried his best to go along but he just needed to oppose it. Rusedski denied the comments of Miles Maclagan—who was also present in the studio and partnering with Croft on her valid points.

After fighting two to one for a while, Greg finally decided to become mature for once and agreed with his partners at the studio. It is quite embarrassing for a sport of such massive following that two key personnel keep fighting each other like children over matters that are literally of no concern.