‘She Brought the House Down’- Rafael Nadal Urged to Break Serena Williams’ Farewell Benchmark at the French Open

Rafael Nadal is aiming to step into his favorite tournament with the usual excitement. However, fans are worried as he has not produced any significant results this year. Regardless of the early exits and the hiatus, fans and tennis personalities alike are confident that Nadal can once again stir up great results in the French Open. A former American pro even predicted that the two-time Australian Open Champion could win his 23rd grand slam, just like Serena Williams.

Alexandra Stevenson retired in 2018 and has since worked with ESPN, mostly covering the US Open. Stevenson also runs her podcast, where she talks about Rafa’s future. She referred to Williams’ return to winning form in 2014 and then attaining two more glorious years. “Watch Serena; she played at the US Open, and she made a brilliant comeback from not winning in the summer to stringing together some tournaments. Now, was she a 100% fit? No. She did as much as her body could do at that point. 

Stevenson talked about how “She brought the house down, right? That’s the way to do it.” She then talked about how Rafa needs to do the same thing. “What we hope for Rafa is he brings the house down at the French Open, à la Jimmy Connors, and I think he wants to do that. That’s one thing I never had a chance to do.”

Stevenson further referred to the fans, saying she hopes for a big show at the Roland Garros from the 14-time champion. The tennis world and sporting fans are excited for his return as Rafa is ready to go all out in the ongoing clay swing. 

Rafael Nadal ready to ‘give everything and die’ in last French Open dance 

Exiting early from the Barcelona Open is not something that tennis fans want to see. While Rafa was frustrated with the result, he knew fighting too hard in Barcelona could leave him in trouble in the future. After his loss, he said, “It wasn’t today that I had to give everything and die, I have to give myself the chance to do that in a few weeks, or at least try to”.

He revealed Madrid, Rome and Paris being his main goals. “I will try to take a step further in Madrid, then another one in Rome and, in Paris… there is the moment to do it, whatever happens, there is no better place to.”

With the excitement at an all-time high, Nadal will play against Darwin Blanch in the round of 128 at Madrid. How will he fare in his final appearance on Spanish clay?