Rafael Nadal’s victory in the final? “It’s the biggest comeback of the Open era”, according to Mats Wilander

Toni Nadal: ‘When he lost the second set, we almost lost hope’

At a time when the term “remontada” is used all over the place, it nevertheless fits perfectly with the scenario of a final where Nadal will have had his back to the wall for a long time before climbing to the top. When, after losing the first two sets, he conceded three break points at 2-2 in the third set, we weren’t giving much of our skin. Not many people to be honest.

“Even having watched Rafael Nadal for 15 years, I didn’t think he could do it, confessed John McEnroe. I knew he was going to fight, give his best, try different things, especially with drop shots, bring him to the net, go there too but it didn’t seem to impact Medvedev“. “When he lost the second set, we almost lost hope, has also admitted Toni Nadal on the Spanish antennas of Eurosport. But I was one of those who still thought Rafa could win“Perhaps because he knows his nephew perfectly well.

Never “the greatest fighter in history”, a title on which the circuit is unanimous, has let go. How did he do it? By remaining faithful to its principles, by listening to it. “At this time, the situation is critical, he confessed at a press conference. But sport is unpredictable, right? Even if you fight until the end, the ‘normal’ end would be to lose in three sets in this situation“. But normal does not rhyme with Nadal.

“I wanted to give myself a chance”

“Rafa is able to stay in the moment, detailed a Tim Henman also amazed by the Majorcan. I think one of the keys is that he doesn’t think about the fifth set when he’s in the third. He begins to reduce this gap, to regain energy as the match progresses“. “I kept telling myself during the match that I had already lost a lot here by having opportunities, that sometimes I had missed successNadal explained again. So I just wanted to believe it until the end. I just wanted to give myself a chance“. She finally arrived.

“For me, it’s the biggest comeback of the Open era., pointed out Mats Wilander. Winning the 21 Grand Slam title, at 35, 36 even when Roland-Garros comes, and he manages to beat the best player in the world in the person of Daniil Medvedev, that is in any case how we should call after his victory at the US Open“.

To this assertion, McEnroe did not find much to complain about. “This is surely one of the greatest comebacks given the circumstances., he supported. Unfortunately, I’m on the list with a match that I lost while leading two sets to zero. (against Lendl, during the 1984 Roland-Garros final, editor’s note). In any case, it’s bigger than winning after being down two sets to nil by Tsitsipas even though it was a great moment for Novak to manage to overturn this match and win Roland-Garros for the second time. If you take into account the fact that Nadal hadn’t played for six months, that he had an operation, that he had the Covid… Add to that the Djokovic affair when the two were supposed to cross paths in semi final“.

Without venturing into the twists and turns of tennis history, Nadal had few doubts when considering his own. “If I put all the elements together, the script, the dynamic, what that finale meant… Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, this is the biggest comeback of my career.“.

Still shaken on set, it was still Alex Corretja and Toni Nadal who had the final say.

– Strap: “Everything he had done before this final seemed impossible to me. But what he did today, for me, it’s a miracle“.

– Tony Nadal : “In fact, for me, everything he did for two weeks is a miracle. The truth is that my nephew is a great champion“.