'Nadal keeps raising the bar' – Federer in awe of rival after latest grand slam success

By Sports Desk June 12, 2022

Rafael Nadal's latest grand slam triumph at the French Open is "unbelievable", says Roger Federer, who believes his rival "keeps raising the bar".

The Spaniard cruised through to both a record 14th success on clay at Roland Garros and a record-extending 22nd men's grand slam title with a straight sets demolition of Casper Ruud.

That made it two from two in 2022 for the 36-year-old, leaving him clear of both Federer and Novak Djokovic, who remain on 20 grand slam crowns each.

The former – who has enjoyed a strong sporting rivalry and friendship with Nadal throughout their intertwined careers – however has nothing but praise for his latest achievement.

"I didn't watch the final," Federer told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. "I watched the quarter-final [against Djokovic] a bit before I went to sleep.

"In general, it's just unbelievable what Rafa has achieved. The record of Pete Sampras, which I beat, was 14 grand slam titles.

"Now Rafa won the French Open 14 times. That's unbelievable. I was happy for him that he did it again.

"Hats off to Rafa. After the 10th, 11th time, I already thought: 'This can't be.' He keeps raising the bar. It's gigantic."

Federer has been unable to add to his own haul of grand slams, having missed the tail-end of 2021 and start of 2022 through injury as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

The 40-year-old Swiss star acknowledged he has not yet plotted anything more than competing in the Laver Cup and Basel Open in October, stressing he will focus on achieving full fitness rather than setting a return date.

"After Basel, the season is over anyway," he added. "It's important for me to get fit again so that I can train fully. Once I've done that, I can choose how many tournaments I play and where.

"The Laver Cup is a good start, I don't have to play five matches in six days.

"I will have be able to do that in Basel. That's why I have to prepare for it in practice. I'm curious myself what's still to come.

"But I'm hopeful, I've come a long way. I'm not far away. The next three or four months will be extremely important."

On a return to top-class tennis in 2023, Federer said that such a move remained the aim, adding: "Yes, definitely. How and where, I don't know yet. But that would be the idea. Definitely."

Related items

  • Dan Evans crashes out of French Open in first round Dan Evans crashes out of French Open in first round

    A frustrated Dan Evans was beaten in straight sets by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round of the French Open.

    Evans finally won his first match at Roland Garros last year but could not achieve the same result here, going down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to the powerful Australian in hot and lively conditions.

    The British number two appeared to have turned the match around in the second set when he led 4-1 but, at 30-0 in the next game, he was faulted for his foot crossing the centre line.

    Evans promptly lost four points in a row, slamming his water bottle to the ground in annoyance and earning a code violation, and he did not win another game in the set as the match slipped away.

    He gave himself a chance by breaking Kokkinakis, the player beaten by Andy Murray from two sets down in the early hours of the morning at the Australian Open, to pull himself back to 4-4 in the third set.

    But Evans promptly dropped serve again and Kokkinakis did not allow him a second chance.

    The 33-year-old’s defeat means Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper are the only British players left in the singles main draws.

  • Marta Kostyuk booed for not shaking Aryna Sabalenka’s hand in French Open defeat Marta Kostyuk booed for not shaking Aryna Sabalenka’s hand in French Open defeat

    Marta Kostyuk was booed off court after refusing to shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka at the end of her first-round French Open defeat.

    There was particular interest in the opening clash of the tournament on Philippe Chatrier given Ukrainian Kostyuk has been the most outspoken critic both of allowing Russian and Belarusian players to continue competing and of athletes from those two countries for not speaking out against their nations.

    Sabalenka knew Kostyuk would not shake her hand at the end of the match, and the Belarusian said in her pre-tournament press conference: “If she hates me, OK. I can’t do anything about that.”

    The pair kept well apart ahead of the contest, not posing together for the usual pre-match picture, and at the end of the 6-3 6-2 victory for the second seed, Kostyuk walked to shake hands with the umpire before heading to her seat.

    A section of the crowd began booing, startling Sabalenka, who appeared unsure whether the gesture was directed at her, but the fans then cheered for her before jeering Kostyuk when she walked off.

    Sabalenka said: “It was a very tough match, tough emotionally. I didn’t know if the booing was against me but thank you so much for your support, it’s really important.”

    The Australian Open champion is one of three big favourites for the women’s title along with defending champion Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.

    She looked tight to start with and two double faults contributed to a loss of serve as Kostyuk took a 3-2 advantage in the first set.

    But Sabalenka got back on level terms immediately and from there relaxed into the match, losing just two of the last 12 games.

  • Novak Djokovic has mixed feelings over Rafael Nadal’s French Open absence Novak Djokovic has mixed feelings over Rafael Nadal’s French Open absence

    The absence of his great rival Rafael Nadal from the French Open draw has left Novak Djokovic with mixed feelings as he chases more history at Roland Garros.

    The Serbian can become the first man to win 23 grand slam singles titles if he lifts the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the third time in a fortnight.

    Djokovic is the only player to beat Nadal twice at Roland Garros but he has also lost eight times to the Spaniard, including in three finals.

     

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros)

     

    “I don’t miss him being in the draw,” he said with a smile as he reflected on the hip problem that has kept Nadal out since January and prompted his announcement earlier this month that next season is set to be his swansong.

    “I don’t like seeing him in the draw of Roland Garros. I have had not so much success against him. I have managed to beat him twice but I had to leave my heart and my guts out on the court to achieve that.”

    Nadal and Djokovic have played each other 59 times, more than any two men in ATP Tour history, and the Serbian said: “When he announced that he’s going to have his last season of his career, I felt part of me is leaving with him too.

    “Because of the rivalry that we had, and that we still have, I feel that he was one of the most impactful people that I have ever had in my career, the growth of my career, and me as a player.

    “Definitely a great motivational factor for me to keep playing and keep competing and keep pushing each other, who’s going to achieve more, who’s going to do better.

    “It made me think about my career and how long I’m going to play. I’m not going to make any announcement today, but just reflecting on it, I felt also a little bit emotional about what he was saying.”

    Djokovic now finds himself fighting a lone battle against a host of young pretenders, led by 20-year-old world number one Carlos Alcaraz.

    And Djokovic was keen to slap the favourite’s tag firmly on his young rival’s forehead despite the vast difference in their grand slam experience.

    Alcaraz certainly has the better recent form, with Djokovic having struggled on clay so far amid concerns over an elbow problem, but he declared himself fully fit, and it is no secret that the slams are the titles he really cares about at this stage of his career.

    “Every grand slam at this stage of my career is like a present for me, so I’ll try to use the opportunity as best as possible,” he said.

    “Leading into Roland Garros, I haven’t had too much success in clay court events but a grand slam is like a different sport. I feel always extra motivated and confident in grand slams.

    “It’s no secret that one of the main reasons I play today and compete in professional tennis is to try to break more records and make more history in tennis. That’s extremely motivating and inspiring for me.

    “But things are different than they were 10 years ago in terms of how my body is maybe responding to the schedule. I’m feeling good at the moment. I don’t have any physical issues that worry me. So that’s most important for me.

    “I think the tournament is quite open. Maybe a few guys that are at the top of the favourites’ list, but anyone can take it. I’m hoping it can be me.”

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.