"It was good for Rafael Nadal to lose in Madrid" claims Jim Courier
ATP
Former World No. 1, Jim Courier, thinks that it was good for Rafael Nadal to lose at the 2022 Madrid Open.
Nadal is the greatest clay-court player of all time, but after the injury, the Spaniard needs to get back in shape quickly to be ready for the 2022 Roland Garros after losing at the Madrid Open.
However, before he travels to Paris, the experienced Spaniard will play the 2022 Italian Open in Rome, where he's the third-seeded and one of the biggest favorites to win the title as he also defends last year's triumph.
Before traveling to Rome, the 21-time Grand Slam champion lost in his home country to Carlos Alcaraz, who is currently on a 10-match winning streak in Spain and is becoming a big rival for his fellow compatriot.
Nadal isn't used to losing on clay, but this loss might have been beneficial for him. Speaking to Tennis Channel, former World No. 1 Courier explained why he thinks that losing at the 2022 Madrid Open to Alcaraz might be a positive thing for Nadal.
"I think this is a good result for Rafa [Nadal] to actually lose this match on a couple of levels. He now gets four days off before he goes to Rome, where he’ll play at sea level, which much more mimics what he’ll face at Roland Garros from a conditions standpoint."
Nadal's result must be looked at from multiple angles. One of those considers the fact that he only returned from a rib injury, and reaching the quarter-final of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament is certainly a great result, especially since his rib didn't seem to bother him.
"And [Nadal] gets a chance now to regroup, hopefully kind of reassess where he is, knowing that his rib is no longer a problem. I think all things considered it was a good week for Rafa."
"He came out, got some match toughness, found out his rib can hold up, and now he’s pointed towards Rome and Roland Garros."
Latest Comments
- Kyrgios will do anything to stay in the news.shirley19-12-2024
- A technical error.
MrMustard18-12-2024 - All that is said , all that is done. Nick has 0 grand slams wins. Everything else is hot 🥵 air.MrMustard18-12-2024
- All that is said , all that isMrMustard18-12-2024
- Kyrgios is a jerk.shirley17-12-2024
- If Jessica Pegula had to undergo such horror for using a bannes substance, so do these two tennis players. Penalty should apply to all players regardless of their excuses. They are professionals and know better!!
Stella112-12-2024 - All players should be treated the same for taking banned substances, if your no 1 in the world or no 300 man or woman you should not be allowed to keep playing,,VPH108-12-2024
- Ah, censored again. No one gets to read my comment. LOLjjluvsports08-12-2024
- Reynolds, could you list all the wars started by the U.S. and U.K., or will you run out of paper? Hypocrisy.jjluvsports06-12-2024
- IDK, it looks like to me that Raducanu should praise herself and her team for 'gaming the system' as in playing the points and ranking game. When you look at her season of wild cards, skipping tournaments (including the Paris Olympics!), retiring from losing matches and avoiding qualifying rounds, it seems like there was some plan to move up the ranks without actually playing a lot of tennis. And it worked! Congrats!RealityCheckers04-12-2024