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The Spanish Rafa Nadal positioned himself upon his arrival in California in favor of harsher sanctions for conduct such as Alexander Zverev in the recent tournament in Acapulco, where the German protested against the referee by violently hitting his chair with the racket. Zverev was immediately disqualified from the tournament in February and this week the ATP handed him an additional $25,000 fine and a two-month banbut these measures were put on hold as long as the German does not break the rules again for a year.
“On the one hand, it is difficult to speak from my position because I have a good relationship with ‘Sascha’ (Zverev). He is someone I like and with whom I train very often », Nadal said at a press conference prior to his participation in the Masters 1000 de Indian Wells.
“I wish him well. He knows that he was wrong and he recognized it very soon, “she pointed out. “But on the other hand, if we are not able to control this type of attitude on the court, and other things have happened in recent months (…) and to create a rule or a way to penalize this type of attitude from a harder way, then we players feel stronger and stronger, “he argued. “And in my opinion, in sport we have to be a positive example especially for children.”
“So, on the one hand, I don’t want a penalty for Sascha (…) but on the other hand, as a fan of this sport, I would like to see something harder for this kind of attitude because in a way that protects the sportthe referees and everyone around them”, Nadal summed up.
Several tennis figures, such as the American Serena Williams, have criticized the ATP for its response to Zverev’s behavior. In a fierce protest that shocked the tennis world, Zverev repeatedly banged on the judge’s chair and verbally assaulted him after he lost a doubles match in Acapulco. The German, who later acknowledged that his conduct was “unacceptable” and apologized to the referee, is emerging as one of Nadal’s main rivals in Indian Wells along with the Russian Daniil Medvedevbrand new world number one.
Nadal, undefeated in 2022, expressed his happiness at competing for a fourth title in Indian Wells (California) in a fabulous start to the season in which he has reaped three more trophies for your showcase. Among them is his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, with which he overtook Djokovic and Roger Federer in this race.
“I did not expect to be in this position,” acknowledged the 35-year-old Spaniard. “I’m enjoying it every day and trying to keep the right attitude to enjoy the fact of playing well and winning titles».
Nadal also admitted that he does not expect a full recovery from his left foot problem, which kept him out for six months last year, and congratulated himself on being able to continue competing. «The foot problem will never be 100% recovered. Some days I feel better and others worse. This will be to manage the problem well and find a way to play as much as possible without limitations », he explained.
“I have pain every day and I am worried about my foot every day. Let’s see how things go, right now I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “I have been able to find a way to adapt my game to what I need to be competitive: some days being more aggressive, others more tactical, more defensive.”
In Indian Wells, Nadal will begin his participation in the second round tomorrow against the American Sebastian Kordason of former Czech tennis player Petr Korda.
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