Rafael Nadal Reminds The World Of Spanish Riches In Rome
Locker Room
May 11, 2022
Rafael Nadal doesn’t get upstaged for very long on clay.
Just when we were all still marvelling at the incredible dominance of his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz,
Nadal reminded us of his own excellence.
Rafael Nadal already has all the honours. How lucky is Spain to have two tennis giants going into Wimbledon 2022?
Or maybe it isn’t luck at all. Spain is just brilliant at nurturing tennis talent – including Britain’s Andy Murray when he was young.
And Spanish tennis fans will flock to the All England Club to enjoy their heroes this summer.
Nadal and Alcaraz both have a great chance of winning Wimbledon 2022.
And don’t forget that Paula Badosa is smashing it among the women and is currently ranked three in the world.
Viva Espana!
Rafa didn’t start too well and had to survive break points against big American John Isner.
But then he never looked back as he made returning look easy against one of the best servers on the planet.
It took Nadal just 72 minutes to win 6-3, 6-1 and set up a tantalising clash with Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.
Last year they played an amazing semi-final at the same venue and Nadal fended off two match points before edging a thriller in three hours, 27 minutes.
‘I finished better than I started, no doubt,’ Nadal said of his latest victory over Isner. And he hadn’t forgotten about Shapovalov either.
‘Last year was a joke, the match that I saved against him,’ Rafa recalled. ‘I was super-lucky and I know how dangerous he is.
‘I will have to play better but I have the chance to play against one of the best players in the world.’
Nadal is a ten-time champion in Rome but he is clearly still hungry for more.
Meanwhile Alcaraz is sitting this one out to recharge the batteries for Roland Garros.
We can’t wait to see Alcaraz and Nadal at Wimbledon 2022!
Badosa could be a serious contender in the women’s singles too.
Will you join the Spanish party at Wimbledon? We can make that happen for you!