Following his comeback triumph, Rafael Nadal calls Stefanos Tsitsipas out for “saying nonsense.”
After making a comeback in Barcelona, Rafael Nadal has responded to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Greek ace who predicted the 22-time Grand Slam champion to win the Barcelona Open, has been accused by Rafael Nadal of spreading “nonsense.”
In his opening match of the competition, Rafael Nadal defeated Flavio Cobolli 2-6 3-6 on Tuesday, winning in straight sets.
With a victory over Cobolli, Spaniard Rafael Nadal made a triumphant comeback to the Barcelona court. Despite being out of commission for more than a hundred days and having not played on clay for over two years, Rafael Nadal was determined to go back on the court in Barcelona.
Though Nadal looked impressive in Catalonia, he has denied being one of the favorites to win the tournament. After defeating Cobolli, Rafael Nadal declared, “Let’s face it, he knows that’s not the situation. It’s rubbish [Tsitsipas’s remarks].”
Although everyone is aware that I am no longer the favorite to win a tournament, I think there is still a lot of respect for what I have accomplished in this one. It’s just a tale with a lot of weight against opponents. I’m not the favorite to this day, but it’s feasible in the game of today.
“I know I’m not the favorite versus Alex de Minaur tomorrow, but that doesn’t matter either,” he went on. For me, it’s like playing against a world-class player, but these are things for you [the media], and you have to write about them. I’ll be put to the test, and we’ll see how I handle it.
It comes after Tsitsipas, who just won the Monte-Carlo Masters, put Nadal under pressure by stating that he was indeed one of the contenders for the title in Barcelona. “I think Rafa is the favourite,” Tsitsipas remarked. On clay, I can have great weeks, but Rafa is Rafa.
