Novak Djokovic slammed Rafael Nadal’s injury comments after French Open Heartbreak
The 13-time champion has been suffering from a chronic foot injury that left him questioning whether he could even compete in Paris but world No 1 issued Nadal with a frank message admitting he saw no physical issues in their match.
Ahead of the 59th meeting with Djokovic, Nadal admitted it could be the “last match here in Roland Garros, in my tennis career.” The world No 5 has been dealing with a chronic foot injury since he was 19 that has appeared to worsen – seeing him miss the second half of the 2021 season before plaguing him again recently in Rome, where he limped off the court and doubted whether he’d recover in time for the French Open.
Novak Djokovic slammed Rafael Nadal’s injury comments after French Open Heartbreak
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has been joined by his doctor in Paris to manage the issue and appeared at his best against his long-time rival on Tuesday night, ousting the reigning champion 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in a four-hour-and-12-minute marathon. And Djokovic has now slammed the idea that Nadal has been injured as he admitted he was “not surprised” to see the Spaniard back to 100 percent.
“I didn’t see any problems,” he said of the 13-time champion’s physical state during the match. And the world No 1 threw in a salty remark as he added: “I am not surprised, it’s not the first time that he is injured and comes back pretty soon at 100 percent.”
Nadal got revenge over Djokovic after losing to the world No 1 in last year’s French Open in the semi-final stage and will play third seed Zverev for a spot in the final. But 1996 champion Kafelnikov has admitted he doesn’t think the German will worry the world No 5, and believes the only man who can trouble Nadal now is Casper Ruud.
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“As much as I love Sasha Zverev, I don’t think there is a chance against Nadal,” the retired former world No 1 told SportKlub. “The only one who can bother Rafa – believe it or not – is Casper Ruud. I think he has the necessary style of play and can play a long match”
But Kafelnikov still thought the French Open was now Nadal’s to lose, calling him the “absolute favorite” for the title. “When we get to the later stages, when he smells the opportunity, he plays at 150 percent,” he added.
