Juan Martin Del Potro Talks About Nadal Not Winning On Clay

Juan Martin Del Potro made a return to the clay court at the Mutua Madrid Open 2019. But he fell to Laslo Djere in his first match. Juan Martin Del Potro will next feature in the Italian Open 2019 in this week.

In an interview before the Rome masters, Del Potro talked about his expectations at the Italian Open 2019. The Argentine also commented on Rafael Nadal performance at the clay season this year. He feels it’s too early to be concerned about Nadal. Juan Martin Del Potro is confident about Rafa’s performance at the French Open 2019.

Juan Martin Del Potro wants to feel good on the court and not worry about winning matches. He said, “Well, to be honest, I am looking for a good result of the tournament. I just want to feel good on the court, and that will be the best moment of this tournament. Doesn’t matter if I win right now because I’m starting to play again.”

Juan Martin Del Potro is set to face the winner of the match between Stan Wawrinka and David Goffin in the second round of the Italian Open 2019. The ‘Tower of Tandil’ expects this match to be a tough one. “But I also had a tough draw. So I supposed to play with Stan or Goffin in the first round, which is a really difficult match, ” said Juan Martin Del Potro smiling.

He further added, “But anyways, if I play good, if I play another match and I close the match in a good shape, will be great for me.”

Juan Martin Del Potro feels that Rafael Nadal’s loss on clay is not a surprise anymore as there are a lot of players playing good tennis. He added, ” I don’t think it’s weird that Rafa doesn’t win a tournament on clay, yet. Many players are playing good on clay. Rafa can lose because he’s a fantastic player, but also you have other guys playing good tennis at the moment. Could be weird if Rafa doesn’t win in Paris.”

Juan Martin Del Potro still feels that Rafael Nadal is unbeatable in Paris. The 30-year-old is confident about Rafa’s performance at the Roland Garros.  Adding to that, he said, “But I think to my point of view, he’s still a big favorite to win Roland Garros once again. What I say all the time: you can beat Rafa once, but to beat Rafa in a grand slam, in Paris, is another big challenge for us. We’ll see what happens.”

It will be interesting to see how the 17-time grand slam champion performs in Rome and Paris. This is the first time since 2004 that Nadal is participating at the Italian Open without a title. He lost in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open 2019 against Stefanos Tsitsipas, last week.