Rafael Nadal is still going strong.
With his 21st Grand Slam title acquired by the sweat of his brow at the Australian Open, the Spaniard had a first quality match in Acapulco, where he easily beat Denis Kudla (6-3, 6 -2).
First in the race ahead of Medvedev and with a Djokovic who eliminates himself from the game with his vaccine stories, can Rafa regain the place of world number 1?
The interested party is categorical: it is not.
“I think that's a bygone era now.
My physical problems unfortunately prevent me from being able to hope to become number one again, ”he regretted at a press conference on Tuesday after his victory against the American Denis Kudla.
Held back by a capricious physique
Nadal became number 1 for the first time on August 18, 2008 and has not had this honor since January 10, 2020. However, he remains in the top five in the world, currently 50 points behind 4th, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, and 1,587 points ahead of the 6th, the Italian Matteo Berrettini.
“I sometimes felt in a position to be number one but my physical condition did not allow it.
Today my goals are different, I'm not going to pursue this goal, it would be a mistake to persevere, ”said the Mallorcan.
Before his victory in Australia, he had been sidelined for more than four months for treatment of a left foot injury and contracting the coronavirus late last year.
"I've been playing rather little for years," recalled Nadal.
"I'm asked if I'm going to reduce the number of my appearances even more but if I reduce them even more, I might as well quit tennis," he said.
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Rafael Nadal
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