Paris: Firm favourite to win his 10th French Open title, Spaniard Rafael Nadal admitted here Friday that he almost ‘destroyed’ his wrist at last year’s tournament, as he relived the pain which forced him to abandon his campaign at the Roland Garros.
The Spanish star withdrew from the 2016 tournament with a left wrist injury on the eve of his third round match. He went on to miss Wimbledon before returning for the Rio Olympics.
“It was not a decision – it was an obligation. I almost destroyed my wrist at Roland Garros,” Nadal was quoted as saying by ‘Eurosport’ magazine.
“What seemed doable Monday was more difficult Friday. I was playing well and pushed further until my wrist said ‘no’. After that, the rest of the year was complicated,” the World No. 4 added.
Nadal had started the clay court season brilliantly, winning the titles at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid before being derailed by Dominic Thiem at the Rome Masters. It still remains one of his unfinished goals in a long and illustrious career.
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it be? People call me the ‘King of Clay’ though I am fallible. But making clean sweep on clay is still an unfinished business in my book,” he stated with a smile.
Nadal also reached his first Grand Slam final in three years in Australia in January where he lost in five sets to old rival Roger Federer who is skipping Roland Garros.
“My forehand is getting better and better. The rest of my game is working well and there aren’t too many ups and downs at the moment,” said the 30-year-old Nadal whose record in Paris reads nine titles, 72 match wins and just two defeats.
“It is a good record I think, but I still feel I can improve on it (bad news for his opponents). I enjoy playing in Paris, I love the crowd here and Roland Garros certainly inspires me to raise a notch in my game,” he added.
Agence France-Presse
