Rafael Nadal he lost this Monday and leaves New York without fulfilling his dream of winning the US Open again at 36 years old, but he flies to Spain with his wife with another, much more important dream. The tennis player has been hanging around his head all week Mery’s state of health and her future son.
Once the tournament was over, the man from Manaco explained that it was not easy for him to be away from his wife at such a difficult time and that now he just wanted to return home to be with his family and hope that everything goes well.
“I played badly and he played well”, he summed up before congratulating his opponent, the 24-year-old American Frances Tiafoe, who occupies the 26th position in the ATP ranking. Tiafoe prevailed in four sets in the biggest victory of her life, against a Nadal who was going for her 23rd ‘big’ after winning this year in Australia and Paris. Despite his defeat, Nadal could rise to number one next Monday, September 12, provided that neither Carlos Alcaraz nor the Norwegian Casper Ruud reach the US Open final.
“Now it’s time for me to go home and be mentally prepared again. When I feel ready to compete again, I will be there,” Nadal said. “The years go by. It is the cycle of life. Some pass, others come and life keeps moving and the world keeps turning. The whole life has been the same. We have been at the top for a long time, but others arrive and we will leave”, commented the best tennis player in history. “I just came out of losing at the US Open, right now it is difficult for me to make a clear analysis of my immediate future”, he reflected “Now I want to go home, I have more important things than tennis to attend to. With that basic principle, then I will make the decisions that I have to make based on what happens. The personal now takes precedence over the professional. I had to make an effort here. He didn’t come out, but right now it’s time to reset. It’s been a tough few months. From there, start again professionally speaking and personally solve such an important issue as having my first child. Let’s hope everything goes well,” said the athlete.
On whether his personal concerns have affected his performance in this tournament, Nadal avoided blaming his family situation: “You don’t have to look for excuses. There are times when you can handle everything and others you can’t. This time it was my turn that I congratulate the rival, I have tried, but unfortunately it has not been possible. I want to return to play in Europe with good feelings, there is a tournament left, if everything goes well, I hope to be able to play them, “he anticipated.
“Best of luck” for Alcaraz, who is ‘still alive’ at the US Open
Now, the ‘Spanish Navy’ only has the young Carlos Alcaraz, 19-year-old, who beat Marin Cilic at dawn and qualified for the US Open quarterfinals after beating the Bosnian in five sets: 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 and 6 -3. About the Murcian, Nadal said that he had not seen him play any game: “But if he is in the quarterfinals I suppose he will be playing well. I wish him the best, being the last Spaniard here. He has options to win his first major and be number 1. “He is having a fantastic year and I wish him the best of luck,” said Rafa.
Hospital admission of his wife in Palma
A couple of weeks ago, Xisca was admitted to the Hospital Quirónsalud Palmaplanas in the 31st week of her pregnancy. The director of the Rafa Nadal Foundation should go through the operating room, but the doctors decided to wait because of the advanced state of her pregnancy. “My wife is fine, I’ll drop it now”, Rafa assured last Friday at a press conference. “Situations are more difficult to manage when one is far from home, but you have to go step by step and build from tranquility and calm.” Rafa and Xisca said “yes, I do” in October 2019 after maintaining a consolidated courtship since adolescence. The arrival of your baby is the most important thing for both of you right now. “They already assume that she is going to be a premature baby,” local journalists confessed to sources close to her family.
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