“I think this is a joke”
Rafael Nadal defends himself against allegations
08/31/2022, 10:01 p.m
22 Grand Slam titles speak for themselves, no male tennis pro is more successful than Rafael Nadal. At the US Open he now has to be accused of being too merciful with the referees. The Spaniard rejects this – and explains his wet problem.
Do different rules apply to him? And does that cast a shadow over his otherwise great legacy? Tennis star Rafael Nadel was confronted with these sensitive questions at a press conference at the US Open. The Spaniard looked puzzled and replied, “Well, I think that’s a joke.” The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner then resisted the impression that the referees often did not enforce the shot clock rule, according to which a serve must be made after 25 seconds, consistently enough. “I don’t think I’m treated any differently by the referees,” said the 36-year-old.
However, he admitted that he had received many time rule warnings in his career. “I have the problem that I sweat a lot,” explained Nadal, and with conditions as humid and humid as at the US Open, he often had to get his towel himself between serves because the ball boys and girls were no longer allowed to bring it to him . “And then players like me who sweat so much will have problems over time.”
Former US tennis star John McEnroe had criticized Nadal for his alleged time play in front of service during this year’s French Open in the quarterfinals against Novak Djokovic. “I don’t understand why John said that on TV,” said Nadal, adding with a smile, “But I’ll have a conversation with him later.”
Nadal had won his opening match at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year on Wednesday night against the Australian Rinky Hijikata, who competed thanks to a wild card, 4: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3 and 6: 3. In the second round, the third in the world rankings meets Italian Fabio Fognini on Thursday. Nadal won the US Open in 2019, but then missed the last two editions. This year he reached the semi-finals in Wimbledon, he won the Australian Open as well as his favorite tournament in Paris, which he once again successfully finished with his 14th French Open title.