Rafa Nadal affirmed this Sunday that he faces the 1,000 Masters in Paris “in better conditions” than in the past, in one of the few tournaments missing from his record.
“At the game level I am more prepared than before on these surfaces”, assured the Spaniard one day before the start of the tournament, the third Masters 1,000 to be played this season in which cancellations have multiplied due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Spaniard, who returned to Paris three weeks after having won his thirteenth Roland Garros, said that in indoor tournaments his rivals used to have more advantage, which forced him to be one hundred percent.
Somewhat difficult in the last Masters 1,000 of the season, where he used to arrive “with physical problems”, which reduced his options.
“Those two things were not good to have options of success in this surface (…) It reached the limit of forces”Nadal insisted, who considered that this season comes with less load on his legs and with a very positive evolution in his tennis.
Nadal played the final in Paris in 2007, when he was defeated by Argentine David Nalbandián and played in the semifinals of 2009 and 2013. Last year he withdrew due to injury before contesting the semifinal.
The Spaniard confirmed that after Paris he will play the ATP Finals in London, although he denied that he will do so because he has not yet won those two tournaments.
“I play because I want to play and because I understand that I have played little this year and I think my evolution has been positive. I have finished the year after Roland Garros playing well and I am excited to continue playing. With the team we decided that it was the right calendar for the present and the future, “he said.
Nadal recalled that before facing the next Australian Open he will have to keep 14 days of quarantine in that country, which will make it difficult to do previous tournaments.
The Spaniard confirmed having had a good feeling in the first practice sessions held under the roof of the pavilion located in the Bercy neighborhood.
Nadal indicated that this tournament has nothing to do with Roland Garros except that it is held in the same city and that this year, due to the delay of the Grand Slam due to the pandemic, they will have a similar climate.
“It's another tournament, another surface, there is nothing like it, only that we are in the same city, but life is different when facing the tournament. We are in Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, although we cannot enjoy it, but we can play tennis, which in these times is a great luck, “he said.