"Mentally, surely the best player I've seen" - Sampras applauds Nadal's fortitude
ATP
Rafael Nadal is one of the biggest warriors in the history of tennis, and the 14-time Grand Slam champion, Pete Sampras, praised his mental strength ahead of the last Grand Slam of the season.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, is one of the favorites at the 2022 US Open, and he will try to extend his winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments this year. The Spaniard is second-seeded and will face Rinky Hijikata in the first round of the tournament.
To start the year, he managed to win both the Australian Open and Roland Garros before being forced to withdraw from his semifinal clash against Nick Kyrgios at the Wimbledon Championship.
Now, ahead of the last major of the season, the Spaniard targets his 23rd Grand Slam title, and he was praised by former ATP great, Pete Sampras, who talked to L'Equipe ahead of the tournament.
The former American player sees Nadal's metal strength as something exception, even calling it "the best" he has seen.
"Everything that (Nadal) does is exceptional. Roger (Federer) and I had a period of dominance on grass, but winning the same big 14 times is incredible. And mentally, what a player! Surely the best I've seen."
Sampras didn't forget to praise also Nadal's main rival, Novak Djokovic. Along with the Spaniard, and Roger Federer, the Serbian has been one of the most successful tennis players ever, and he is in a fight to push that mark even further.
However, unlike Nadal, Djokovic won't be able to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he's unable to enter the country due to his unvaccinated status.
"Novak has done incredible things in the last ten years, he has good numbers against most players, he is the one with the record of being number 1. He has won everywhere. He has all the records except for the Grand Slam."
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