Rafael Nadal before French Open final: "I don't care, I'll win"
Carlos Moya , long-time coach of Rafael Nadal , gave Sportskeeda a little chat. From the minutes before the final of this year's French Open.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Dec 29, 2020, 10:27 am
The French Open told a completely new story on the one hand, but also a story that had been seen several times before on the other. To be precise, twelve times. So often before this year's edition at the end of the Grand Slam on the Bois de Bolougne, the winner of the men's competition was Rafael Nadal. And he should also bear his name in 2020. Although at least in advance there was a lot of discussion about conditions that could undermine the dominance of the Spaniard.
The other ball, the new roof over the Court Philippe Chatrier, both of which are not really conducive to the game of the bull from Manacor, the experts almost without exception agreed in advance. The Spaniard was in the final almost two weeks later - and in an impressive manner. But when it became clear before the big final against long-term competitor Novak Djokovic that the game would be played under a closed roof, the Serb was expected to have a good chance of defeating Nadal in his living room.
Rafael Nadal definitely into the final
While the Mallorcan coach's team was a bit uncomfortable with this news, it didn't leave a trace on Nadal himself. As Carlos Moya told Sportskeeda , the 20-time Grand Slam champion entered the final with an extremely broad chest. "When they came to tell us that the final was going to be played under closed roof, we wondered how to tell Rafa," said Moya. "Fifteen minutes before the game, Francisco Roig told him that. And there was Rafa's answer: 'I don't care, it doesn't change anything, I'll win this match'.
Such a statement has nothing to do with arrogance, as Moya emphasizes: "Rafa had never said something like this to me before a game. He knew he would not fail. Nadal is such a humble person. It wasn't arrogance, it was a feeling of trust and security. " A security that the Spaniard should then impressively prove on the pitch. 6: 0, 6: 2 and 7: 5 was the result of a more than one-sided final. The result of a final that showed that the French Open 2020 should also tell a well-known story.