French Open: 'He is a great guy' - Rafael Nadal with classy gesture as Felix Auger-Aliassime leaves the court
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Updated 30/05/2022 at 12:32 GMT
Despite being exhausted after what was an incredible match, Rafael Nadal still had time for a classy gesture as he stood and applauded his opponent as the defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime walked off the court having suffered such a cruel loss. It was a special moment for both players as Nadal joined the fans in giving the Canadian a standing ovation after his magnificent efforts in Paris.
Nadal applauds Auger-Aliassime off the court in classy gesture after epic match
Rafael Nadal showed his class once again as he applauded his opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime, off the court after their epic five-set battle at the French Open.
The 13-time champion had his back to the wall against the prodigiously-talented Canadian, who took him to a fifth set at Roland-Garros for only the third time in his illustrious career.
Auger-Aliassime had the momentum heading into the fifth set, but Nadal somehow found another level in incredible fashion to secure his place in the last eight of his favourite tournament.
Nadal was put under huge pressure, but he held his composure and found just enough to edge the fifth set to set up a meeting with his great rival, world No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic, in the quarter-finals.
Despite being exhausted after the marathon battle, the Spaniard still had time for a classy gesture as he stood and applauded his opponent as he walked off the court having suffered such a cruel defeat.
It was a touching moment as Nadal joined the jubilant but sympathetic crowd in clapping Auger-Aliassime off, and it also did justice to the incredible match that they had just served up on the red dirt in Paris.
Nadal paid tribute to Auger-Aliassime, as he said in his on-court interview: "He did a lot of things well. He has been improving every year. I wish him all the best, he is a great guy.
"He’s playing better and better and if you’re not able to push him back he’s very difficult to control because he has a huge serve and the first shot with his forehand is very aggressive."
Eurosport expert Mats Wilander was hugely impressed with Rafael Nadal’s problem-solving skills in coming through such a tricky encounter.
"He was number two today for most of the match,” Wilander said in the Eurosport studio. “He learns his lessons so quickly. It takes three or four games, then he understands it is not working and he has to change.
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'His hands!' - Wilander and Henman explain the key difference for Nadal in final set
“The older he has got, the more willing he has been to change his game and do a little bit more with the ball, some slices and drop shots and serve and volley a bit,” Wilander said. “Both him and Novak are becoming smarter on the court, as maybe Father Time is catching up.
“They never stop learning. It is incredible the problem-solving abilities of Rafael Nadal. His hands. They are unbelievable. Those chipped backhands that he hit. The last point. His hands in defence, his hands in offence.
"We don’t talk about it much, but it is coming out more and more the older he is getting. He always had unbelievable hands, we knew that, but now he is using them more and more.”
Despite being on court for four hours and 21 minutes against Auger-Aliassime, Wilander feels Nadal will be ready for battle against Djokovic.
“The things he says, he is going to be there, he means it,” Wilander said. “Not a lot of players are able to promise to be there emotionally, physically, technically, tactically, spiritually. He can do that and I don’t know another player who can do that.”
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‘Maybe my last match here in Roland Garros in my tennis career’ – Nadal
Nadal was at the Stade de France on Saturday night to watch Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the Champions League final, and Wilander feels the game had both a positive and negative impact on the Spaniard.
"We have to remember though Rafa played yesterday," Wilander said. "He was emotionally involved in Real Madrid last night in the stands. He’s the biggest Real Madrid fan in the world most probably so as an athlete, he's involved.
"I actually thought of that at the beginning of the match, because he had breakpoints in the third game and like, wow, he's missing backhands down the line. He looks a little flat. And I'm like maybe he’s emotionally involved three days in a row and that's not easy.
"But I think that Real Madrid winning, helped him go through. It makes him a happier person, and it makes him come up with the answers."
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