PARIS.- Back on his favorite track the day after his first practice at the Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal He won a training set against the American Sebastian Korda at the Philippe Chatrier, five days before the start of the 2024 edition of the Parisian tournament, in which the Iberian tennis player has always stood out.
On the center court, at midday, and again under the watchful eye of thousands of spectators in lower stands, Nadal recovered from a break (2-3) to win the first set 6-3, relying on his serve and applying a certain intensity to his shots from the back of the court. In the second set, he was leading 5-3, but had to clear the ground.
Korda, number 28 in the world in the ATP rankings, has only won three matches in four tournaments played on clay in 2024.
About to turn 38 years old, Nadal is trying to make one last comeback, but the Spaniard’s form, with 22 Grand Slam titles under his belt, remains uncertain. Throughout his career, and especially during the last few years, the talented tennis player has dealt with multiple physical problems that have diminished his performance on the courts and have even prevented him from competing at all for prolonged periods. .
The day before, during a first training session, ‘Rafa’ returned to the Parisian clay court for the first time since his last title in 2022, when he won a fortnight played under incredible conditions, with his left foot anesthetized to withstand the pain caused by a chronic illness that he has suffered since he was 18 years old (Müller-Weiss syndrome).
Nadal has indicated on several occasions that retirement is just around the corner for him, so it is expected that this will be his last participation at Roland Garros.
Source: With information from AFP
