Spain’s Rafael Nadal is no stranger to breaking records in men’s tennis and on Sunday at the Barcelona Open he continued that trend.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion saved match point en route to edging out Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5, in what was a marathon encounter. The clash between the two lasted three hours and 38 minutes to make it the longest best-of-three ATP Tour final since statistics started being tracked back in 1991. It has also rewarded Nadal with his 12th Barcelona trophy in what is another historic milestone for the Spaniard.
Following their battle, a disappointed Tsitsipas says it was the fighting spirit of his rival which got him over the finish line. He now trails their head-to-head 2-7.
“He’s a real competitor on the court,” the world No.5 said of Nadal. “He hates to lose. He hates to lose more than anyone else.
“I haven’t seen anyone fight like this. He makes my life really difficult on court.
“I’m there to accept those terms and play based on his desire to fight. It also makes me a better player and I can see myself reaching my limits.
“It’s definitely something good to have for my personal development and growth.”
Tsitsipas’ claim that Nadal hates losing more than anybody else on the Tour has been rejected by his rival who insists that his main focus is always being as competitive as he can be on the court. This year Nadal has had a roller-coaster run to the Barcelona title after dropping a set in the first two rounds against Ilya Ivashka and Kei Nishikori. On the other hand, he enjoyed more convincing wins over both Cameron Norrie and Pablo Carreno Busta prior to facing Tsitsipas.
“I don’t hate losing, but I like winning and competing more than anything else,” he explained during his press conference. “I like to make an effort to try to achieve the objectives and, if I do not achieve them, to leave with the peace of mind that I have tried. If you don’t fight in a final, when do you fight?’
“It is a daily attitude in life. In my career I have always respected any rival and the essence of the sport, which is to do your best every day. If you can reach 100, fantastic, but if it is not about reaching the maximum possible at all times.”
The 34-year-old is hoping that his recent triumph will act as a springboard for him to improve further in the coming weeks heading into the French Open. A tournament which he has already won 13 times in his career. Due to a back injury earlier in the season, he has only played three tournaments (13 matches) so far in 2021.
“I really believe I can play better than what I’m doing on clay and I hope that the victory is going to help me to raise a little bit my level that I need to fight for the next couple of events that I’m going to play.” He stated.
Nadal is set to return to action next week at the Madrid Masters. He has risen back up the rankings into second spot.
