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Tennis star Rafael Nadal was recently asked to react to the comments made by Alexzander Zverev about how he plays 30% better in the French Open. The 2022 Australian Open champion joked about these comments and replied that he was better than everyone else sometime before but not now.
He then expressed that he has won in places like Barcelona, Rome and Monte-Carlo and hence believes that the place doesn't matter. He said, “I won also a lot in Barcelona, Rome and Monte-Carlo. It’s probably not a matter of place. My level of tennis on clay has been high for a long time. But I didn’t have the preparation I would have liked. In sports, things change quickly.”
In the same press conference, Nadal then addressed how he feels that he isn’t the favourite to win the tournament. He said, “I considered myself during all my tennis career one of the candidates here because I achieve tournaments before here. Now on Friday, before the tournament starts, I don't think I am the favourite at all.”
“But you never know what can happen. I think my level of tennis on clay has been high for a long period of time in my tennis career, without a doubt. That's what the numbers say,” the fifth seed said.
The Spaniard also talked about how he isn’t physically fit entering this contest because of his rib fracture. He said, “Unfortunately here I didn't have the preparation that I would like, and unfortunately, that rib fracture stopped a little bit the great momentum I was having since the season start. But in sport, things can change quickly, and the only thing that I can do is try to be ready if that change happens.”