Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic’s Loss:- “That’s How It Works This is Sport”

After the big upset on the Court Rainier III with the World Number one, Novak Djokovic crashing out from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters 2019, the ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal experienced an onerous opening set against the Argentine, Guido Pella.

In the opening game, a double fault and a wide forehand from the Spaniard’s end gave the 28-year-old, Argentine opening break. Rafael Nadal did restore that loss, but again Pella broke to continue the lead in the first set and raced to take a 4-1 lead.

The best clay-courter of all times, Rafael Nadal retrieved to reset the first set and equalized the set score to 4-4. Later the Spaniard went on to take a lead 5-4, but the Argentine emerged with a break of serve and then Pella led by 6-5.

On the Monte-Carlo soil, Rafael Nadal previously dropped a set against Kyle Edmund in 2017 and today Pella was all prepared to seize a set from the Spaniard. The World Number two tennis player ran back and forth to save his set and got hold of six set points in the tiebreaker. Rafael Nadal is now through to the semifinals with a 7-6(1), 6-3 victory against Pella and up next he will face the Italian, Fabio Fognini who won over Borna Coric.

The Serbian, Novak Djokovic’s egress from his home soil of Monte-Carlo was despairing in the tennis world. Rafael Nadal was startled upon learning about his loss, and later articulated his perception for Djokovic’s game.

“The match looks like gonna be for Novak at the third set, because winning that second set, tough one, looks like Daniil was a little bit more tired,” Rafael Nadal said.

“Is true that Novak, I think, played a bad game in the 2-1, I think so. And then Daniil played well. He’s playing so well. He already won a lot of good matches in this event.”

Rafael Nadal mentioned that winning or losing, it’s all part of the game. “Always, when Novak loses, always seems strange because he’s super solid. But everybody is human, no? And every day you play against another opponent that wants to win, too. That’s how it works. This is sport.”

The 11-time Monte-Carlo champion, Rafael Nadal is yet to open his title-account for the tennis season 2019. He hasn’t won a single title since the Rogers Cup 2018 crown in Canada, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. And to break his title-less spell of 2019 he will face the ATP players ranked outside the top-ten roster in the upcoming two matches.