{"id":36045,"date":"2022-06-04T04:45:19","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T04:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/french-open-rafael-nadal-would-prefer-to-lose-final-and-get-new-foot\/"},"modified":"2022-06-04T04:45:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-04T04:45:19","slug":"french-open-rafael-nadal-would-prefer-to-lose-final-and-get-new-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/french-open-rafael-nadal-would-prefer-to-lose-final-and-get-new-foot\/","title":{"rendered":"French Open: Rafael Nadal Would Prefer To Lose Final And Get New Foot"},"content":{"rendered":"
Rafael Nadal said he would “prefer to lose Sunday’s final” in exchange for a new left foot after making his 14th French Open championship match on Friday. Nadal reached the final after Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from their last-four clash with an ankle injury. Nadal, the 13-time champion, will be chasing a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title on Sunday but has insisted throughout this Roland Garros that a chronic left foot injury means any match could be the last of his standout career di lui.<\/p>\n
“Without a doubt, I’d prefer to lose the final,” said Nadal who turned 36 on Friday.<\/p>\n
“My opinion does not change. A new foot would allow me to be happier in my daily life.<\/p>\n
“Winning is very nice and gives you an adrenaline rush, but it’s temporary and then you have to go on living.”<\/p>\n
“I have a life ahead of me and in the future I would love to play sports with my friends. My happiness goes ahead of any title,” he insisted.<\/p>\n
Nadal will face Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nadal said it was only “human” of him to feel sympathy for Zverev after the injury which forced him to retire from the semi-final.<\/p>\n
Tearful German world number three Zverev had to leave the court in a wheelchair after his fall late in the second set which left him writhing and screaming in agony.<\/p>\n
When he hobbled back on to Court Philippe Chatrier on crutches to concede the match, the two men shared a warm embrace.<\/p>\n
“If you are human, you feel sorry for a colleague,” said Nadal.<\/p>\n
Zverev was trailing 7-6 (10\/8), 6-6 after more than three hours of play at the time of the horror injury.<\/p>\n
“It’s not easy to talk about. I hope that he’s not too badly injured, I hope it’s not broken,” said Nadal. “I was with him when he was having the ultra-sound.”<\/p>\n
The match was played under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, creating heavy humid conditions with 15,000 spectators looking on.<\/p>\n
However, Nadal said the court was not in a bad shape.<\/p>\n
“It was an accident, it was just an unlucky moment.”<\/p>\n
Nadal hailed Zverev’s performance as the German attempted to become the first German man to make the final since Michael Stich in 1996.<\/p>\n
“It was a very tough match. He was playing amazing and I know how much it means to him to win a Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
Promoted<\/span><\/p>\n “The conditions were not ideal for me. I had to do a lot of surviving. The first set was a miracle but I was fighting.”<\/p>\n (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n Topics mentioned in this article<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rafael Nadal said he would “prefer to lose Sunday’s final” in exchange for a new left foot after making his 14th French Open championship match on Friday. Nadal reached the final after Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from their last-four clash with an ankle injury. Nadal, the 13-time champion, will be chasing a record-extending …<\/p>\n