World No.3 Rafael Nadal recently won his 17th consecutive battle against his long-time friend, Richard Gasquet. Playing against the Frenchman in the second round of the French Open 2021, the Spaniard dominated the match and thrashed his opponent in straight sets, 6-0, 7-5, 6-2.

It is Rafael Nadal’s 35th birthday today, and he won his 30th straight match at the French Open today. Interestingly, he has now won 29 back-to-back sets at Roland Garros.

In the post-match interview, Nadal admitted that the most important thing for him is to win. He mentioned that he doesn’t complain if his matches go longer and take some extra time.

“Well, the important thing is [to] win the matches. If it’s in three sets, better, but I honestly, don’t complain at all… And, you never know, of course, in the theory, it’s better to save some energy. But at the same time, sometimes, when you are pushed at the beginning of the tournament, then you went through some tough moments and that helps for the next rounds that you are able to keep going,” said Nadal in the interview.

While Rafa believes that it is good to save energy at the beginning of the tournament, he also feels that difficult matches at the start of a tournament really challenge and improve a player.

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“The main thing for me is an important victory against a great player”- Rafael Nadal

Rafa highlighted that the same thing happened to him at the Italian Open 2021 where he faced tough opponents back-to-back. He feels that it is they who make him a better player. The Spaniard also emphasized that the most important thing for him right now was that he was able to defeat a great player.

“For me, in Rome like this. I had some tough challenges at the beginning of the tournament. Then you get to the quarters, semis, and finals and you know that you are gonna suffer and you are more ready for such situations. But, the main thing for me is an important victory against a great player and another chance to be playing here,” added the 20-time Grand Slam winner.

Rafael Nadal will now advance to the third round of the French Open 2021. He is in some terrific form at the moment and will like to carry forward this momentum. Will Nadal be able to conquer Paris for the 14th time this year?

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