In a recent interview, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the 1996 Roland Garros champion, provided his thoughts on the semifinal match between Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal for SportKlub.
On Friday, 13-time Roland Garros champion, Rafael Nadal will take on Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the 2022 event. In their quarterfinal matches, both players caused a little upsets when the Spaniard defeated world number 1, Novak Djokovic and his German colleague outplayed young rising star, Carlos Alcaraz. Ahead of their match, former world number 1, Yevgeny Kafelnikov said:
"As much as I love Sascha Zverev, I don't think there is a chance against Nadal. The only one who can bother Rafa - believe it or not - is Casper Rudd. I think he has the necessary style of play and can play a long match on three won sets. Now Rafa is the absolute favorite, and when that is the case, when he smells that the final is over and that the title is close, he plays at 150%."
He also spoke about a possible retirement of the Spaniard in case he wins his 22nd Grand Slam title, saying: "Maybe this is the last time they will play against each other. Maybe Rafa says on Sunday that he is retiring after the 22nd Grand Slam title, maybe he says ‘this is it, see you in the next life’. Obviously, Novak felt the weight of the duel much more on his shoulders. I hope they both continue, but you never know."
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