14 Tuesday, October 13, 2020 Sports What counts is victory, says peerless Nadal AFP make sacrifices to achieve the goal.” “After the confinement I didn’t watched with “sadness” as the virus PARIS Nadal was just 19 when he first feel great, I trained very little for unfolded across the world. won at Roland Garros and quickly es- many weeks,” he said. “I am a sensitive person and when WHEN Rafael Nadal beat the Argen- tablished himself as the King of Clay “I couldn’t train in the way I want- I see so much suffering, so many tinian Mariano Puerta in four sets to by winning four French titles in a row. ed, especially for the first two months deaths, so many people having a bad win his first major title at the French In 2009 he surprised everyone by after the confinement. time... I had a bad time,” he said. Open back in 2005, no one had any losing to Roger Soderling in the fourth “My body suffered a little from the “At one point I stopped watching idea that it was the start of one of the round but returned the following year whole lockdown. The reality is that for the news because it made me so sad it most remarkable winning sequences to beat the Swede in the final and start bodies like mine with a lot of kilome- wasn’t healthy. I live with worry and in any sport. another winning run of 39 matches tres on the clock, a drastic stop makes now it seems that things are getting Since then, Nadal has won 100 and five titles. the return to normal work much more worse again. matches at Roland Garros and lost Djokovic beat him in 2015 and a complicated. “I hope this nightmare will be just two. His straight-sets domination year later he had to withdraw after “In my case, over as soon as possible and that peo- of Novak Djokovic on Sunday gave the second round with a wrist injury the body re- ple can go back to living in a more the Spaniard an extraordinary 13th but he was back on top in 2017 and sponded pleasant and happier world.” STANDING TALL French Open title. remains there still, as dominant as he badly for a As for what Nadal will be doing in IN PARIS: Aged 34 and a long-term sufferer was when he saw off Puerta all those few months another 15 years time, the Spaniard is Spaniard Rafael Nadal of knee tendinitis and a number of years ago. and little by loathe to commit. holds the Mousquetaires other ailments from foot to wrist to “What has changed is age,” he little things “I am not into making such long- Cup (The Musketeers) dur- shoulder, Nadal might be forgiven for laughs. “The only negative is that I am started to sort term plans. But I have a lot to do, with ing a photocall a day after packing it all in and taking life easy in 15 years older. themselves my foundation, the academy and oth- winning the men’s singles his native Majorca. “Everything else, the basic and out. They were er things that are about to start. title of The Roland Garros The bad news for his challengers, important things in my life, have not tough weeks.” “For the moment I’m playing ten- 2020 French Open tennis however, is that Nadal has no inten- changed much. Nadal ad- nis... we’ll see for how long.” tournament, in Paris, tion of walking away just yet, especial- “I still live practically in the same mits that he on Sunday. (AFP) ly as Sunday’s triumph brought him place, with the same friends and the level with Roger Federer’s record of reality is that my way of life when I am 20 Grand Slam titles. out of tournaments has changed rela- “Winning is what you play for,” tively little.” Nadal told AFP in a telephone inter- There is another negative, though, view on Monday. and that is the coronavirus pandemic. “In high-level competition, what With tennis in lockdown for several counts is victory. That is a reality. months, Nadal struggled to keep his “And beyond the victory, there is body and game in condition, prompt- an even greater personal satisfaction ing his decision to skip the rearranged because at certain times I have had to US Open to focus on Roland Garros. Nadal’s Paris Age just a number for Rafa, Roger and Novak AFAEL Nadal’s 13th Nadal is the oldest Roland Federer is another source of record will never RFrench Open was hailed Garros champion since An- frustration for the young pre- as “one of sport’s greatest dres Gimeno in 1972. tenders who have constantly achievements” by close friend Djokovic, at 33, is the come up short. be beaten, and rival Roger Federer, but youngest of the three giants From Federer’s first Slam for tennis’s flagging chasing of the sport. Despite his loss triumph at Wimbledon in pack, it was another dagger in on Sunday, which cost him 2003, 57 of the 69 majors have predicts Murray the heart of their ambitions. the chance to become the first been won by the ‘Big Three’. Nadal, who has now gone man since Rod Laver in 1969 Only six finals have failed level with Federer on 20 ca- to win all four majors twice, to feature at least one of them. AFP round of the US Open in his reer Grand Slams, has won six he believes the 20-Slam mark The most recent even car- COLOGNE (GERMANY) first Slam since hip resurfac- since turning 30. can be bettered. ries an asterik as Dominic ing surgery and Roland Garros World number one No- “If I thought it was too late Thiem’s win over Alexander was his third tournament this vak Djokovic has captured I would have ended my career Zverev at the US Open last ANDY Murray predicts Rafael year after rehab. five of his 17 since leaving today,” the world number one month came after Nadal and Nadal’s record of 13 French Having needed wildcards his 20s while even Federer, Rafael Nadal became the first man in the Open Era to win a Grand told Serbian media after his Federer opted not to play and Open titles will never be to play in Paris and Cologne, now 39, claimed four after Slam 15 years after their first one! seventh loss in eight meetings Djokovic was defaulted. beaten as the British Murray hopes the his 30th birthday. with Nadal in Paris. Until Sunday, that was former world number back-to-back ATP in- They are statistics which greatest Slam winner. a better phone. In terms of “Myself, Nadal, Federer Djokovic’s only loss of 2020 one looks to bounce door tournaments on illustrate even more starkly “I would love to finish my these records, of course I care. have been written off many compared to 37 wins. back in Cologne this the Rhine can help how big the gap remains be- career being the player with For me it means a lot to share times but we keep coming Greek world number six week from his own improve his current tween the sport’s ‘Big Three’ more Grand Slams,” he said this number with Roger. back and proving that we are Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost Roland Garros disap- ranking of 97th. and the rest. after winning his 100th match “But let’s see what’s going still the best in the world.” in five sets to Djokovic in the pointment. “It will be good to Nadal’s staggering 6-0, at Roland Garros against just on when we finish our careers. “My goals remain the same - semi-finals at Roland Garros, Murray, 33, the get a few matches in 6-2, 7-5 win over Djokovic in two losses in 15 years. We keep playing. I don’t know the historic number one rank- believes there will be a chang- reigning Olympic Andy Murray over these next few the Roland Garros final al- “But I’m not going to be what can happen in the fu- ing and Grand Slam titles.” ing of the guard. champion, crashed out weeks - I hope to per- lowed him to join the Serb in thinking all the time Novak ture.” - Iron grip of ‘Big Three’ Djokovic will start his 289th However, the 22-year-old of last month’s French Open form better than I did in Par- winning majors in three dif- has this one, Roger is winning -Federer, who missed the US week as world number one was conservative on the time- in straight sets with a lop-sid- is,” said the Scot. ferent decades. the other one. Open and Roland Garros to on Monday with Federer’s all- frame. ed first round defeat to Stan “I want to win tourna- The 34-year-old Span- “You can’t be always un- recover from knee surgery, time high of 310 comfortably “The big three have been Wawrinka as he works his way ments and move up the rank- iard insists that he won’t happy because your neigh- believes that he and Nadal in his sights. there for a long time. I don’t back from hip surgery. ings. become obsessed with end- bour has a bigger house than have “pushed each other to The iron-grip on the feel like it’s going to be the On Sunday, the Scot “Physically, my body tends ing his career as the all-time you or a bigger boat or has become better players”.