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‘Difficult to Imagine..’ – Rafael Nadal Fondly Remembers Roger Federer Immediately After a Physically Taxing Match Against Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon Championships 2022

Published 07/06/2022, 4:49 PM EDT

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22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal showed once again his tremendous fighting ability today at the Wimbledon Championships during his match against Taylor Fritz. Today, he had to deal with an abdomen injury as well as going down in the first to get the important win.

After the match, he talked about his struggles with injury and reminisced about his famous final against Roger Federer in 2008.

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Rafael Nadal remembers his famous match against Roger Federer in 2008

During his on-court interview, Nadal thanked the crowd, as he remembered the crowd reaction in the 2008 Wimbledon final, where he beat the Swiss Maestro in an epic final. Back in 2008 it was difficult to imagine that in 2022 I would still be here playing. But here I am and I’m happy for that,” Nadal said after the match. 

Read More: ‘I’m Not Rafa Nadal’ – Paula Badosa Vents Out Frustration Over How People Got ‘Spoiled’ in Spain With Unjust Comparisons

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Notably, Nadal won a grueling match against Federer in that famous rain-affected final. At 4 hours and 48 minutes, it was the longest final match since 1877, as the final scoreline was 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7. Incidentally, it was Nadal’s first-ever Wimbledon title, after previously losing his first two finals at Centre Court.

Nadal survived against Fritz at Wimbledon Championships 2022

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In the first set, the American rising star played some quality tennis, to win the set, 6-3. However, Nadal looked uncomfortable after the first set, as he had to call a trainer in the middle of the second set. After a medical time-out, he came back on the court, despite his box indicating him to retire from the match.

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However, Nadal decided to continue, as he battled hard to win the second set, 7-5. In the third set, Fritz made a great comeback, as Nadal looked defeated; the American won the third set, 6-3. The fourth set saw another turnaround by Nadal, as he continued to fight for every point, which eventually got him a break. As a result, he won the fourth set, 7-5.

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via Reuters

In the fifth set, we saw another twist, as Nadal broke Fritz to go ahead in the set and looked all set to defeat the American. However, Fritz bounced back to break Nadal’s serve, and forced a 10-point tie-break. In the tie-break, the Spaniard played some scintillating tennis to get the win against the American. The final score was 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6(4) in favor of the legendary Spaniard. He will face Nick Kyrgios in the semifinal. 

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Written by:

Debkinkar Maity

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Debkinkar Maity is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. His desire to become a sports journalist inspired him to take up a degree in journalism and mass communication, and he hasn't looked back ever since. Following the sport for over a decade now, Debkinkar has an ardent love for Roger Federer.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas