Tennis – Nadal said nice things about two tennis legends.
Born within a couple of weeks in the summer of 1981, Roger Federer and Serena Williams are among the oldest active players in professional tennis. Serena will retire at the upcoming US Open, while Roger is yet to make a return following his third knee surgery after the last year’s Wimbledon.
Rafael Nadal spoke about two legends in his pre-US Open press conference. The Spaniard called them legends and honored everything they have done for our sport. Serena has played only nine tournaments since the start of 2021, reaching the Australian Open semi-final last year and not repeating that result in the following events.
The American suffered an injury at the last year’s Wimbledon and stayed away from the court for almost a year. Williams made a surprising return in Eastbourne, entering the doubles draw and shaping his game ahead of Wimbledon.
Serena suffered a heavy 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 loss to Harmony Tan in the first round, missing her chances and experiencing an early defeat. Williams entered Toronto and faced Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the first match. The American earned a 6-3, 6-4 triumph in an hour and 57 minutes for her first victory in 430 days!
Williams faced Belinda Bencic in the second round and experienced a 6-2, 6-4 defeat. In her last pre-US Open clash, Williams suffered a heavy 6-4, 6-0 loss to Emma Raducanu in just over an hour in Cincinnati. Serena will make one last push at her beloved US Open, facing Danka Kovinic in the first round at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night.
Rafael Nadal shared his thoughts about Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
Roger Federer has been dealing with a knee injury for over two and a half years, undergoing three surgeries and still struggling to return to action.
Federer played only one event in 2020 and stayed away from the court for 13 months. The Swiss returned to the court in March last year in Dubai, raising his form and reaching the Wimbledon quarter-final. Roger experienced a heavy loss to Hubert Hurkacz.
He decided to undergo the third surgery and start again with rehab. Federer should return to action at the next month’s Laver Cup, where he should play alongside Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. “We are excited to see Roger back on track.
I hope he is well enough to be able to play. I have not seen him for a long time, so I hope he can make a comeback in London. What I said before about Serena goes the same for Roger. The most important thing is that he is healthy and happy.
If that’s the case, it would be incredible to see him back on the court. We can only thank Roger for everything he has done. I’m confident we will still see more from him. I can not wait to team up with him,” Rafael Nadal said.
