Djokovic: ‘Nadal always recovers quickly from injury’

“I don’t see Nadal having any movement problems related to injury,” Serbian newspaper Novosti quoted Djokovic after the quarterfinals of Roland Garros on May 31. “Nadal has the ability to recover 100% of his fitness just a few days after being in so much pain that he can’t walk. We’ve seen this many times, so I’m not surprised.”

Physical Nadal’s performance was questioned against Roland Garros this year, when he relapsed with a foot injury at the Rome Masters. The Spanish tennis player also suffered a rib fracture in March. Nadal played only five games against Roland Garros, not winning a title since the beginning of the clay season. The 21 Grand Slam owner brought his doctor to Paris and admitted that any match could be the last at Roland Garros this year.

In the quarterfinals on the evening of May 31, Nadal had more winners and made fewer mistakes than Djokovic, then won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in 4 hours and 12 minutes. The 35-year-old previously spent a five-set match against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round, with nearly five hours on the court.

“Nadal is still running fast and swinging his racquet strongly. He doesn’t have the same problem as previous complaints”, newspaper Novosti further comment.

Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic also appeared calm when asked about Nadal’s strength. He said: “When I saw the results of the draw, I thought Nadal was in the final, which means he beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals. At Roland Garros, Nadal is still the leading title candidate, even if he got injured at the tournament. Rome. We don’t know the extent of the injury.”

Nadal insists still sore feet when playing Djokovic, due to a chronic injury. He said: “At this age, I have nothing to hide. I don’t think too much about the future, don’t commit to anything. I only have one goal, the next game. I haven’t found a prize yet. solutions for injuries, just trying to play in the best condition. The doctors and the coaching staff help me do that.”

Although he considers himself not in the best shape, Nadal was seen on the training ground just half a day after the quarter-final match, in the early afternoon of June 1. He previously also practiced a day after the victory against Auger-Aliassime, to prepare for the match with Djokovic. According to the Spanish newspaper MarcaNadal chose a training ground separate from the Roland Garros complex and not many people could see him practice.

Vy Anh (follow Novosti)