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Rafael Nadal of Spain looks dejected during his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during Day 7 of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 21, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
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Rafael Nadal of Spain looks dejected during his match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during Day 7 of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 21, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
13-Time French Open winner, Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest competitors, the sport has ever witnessed. The manner in which the Spaniard has competed over the years highlights his enormity. He is certain to go down as one of the best players to grace this sport.
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Another interesting aspect of Rafa, he has never lost his cool, where he has smashed his racquet on the ground or show any kind of aggression during all these years. However, there has been an instance during which he lost his cool and was seen ranting to the chair umpire during certain events that took place during a match played at the Rio Olympics 2016.
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Rafael Nadal of Spain looks dejected during his semi-final singles match against Alex de Minaur of Australia on day nine of the 2020 ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The 20-Time Grand Slam winner was up against Japan’s Kei Nishikori during their bronze medal match. During the match, the Spaniard made a sensational comeback, to win the second set, being 5-2 down initially. After which, the Japanese star took a longer than usual time out, much to his opponent’s annoyance.
Naturally, Rafa had momentum on his side after his comeback in the second set. The long break from Kei affected Rafael’s thought process and he squandered the match away, losing the third set.
Rafael Nadal: Someone Has to Control This
After the match, the former World No. 1 did have a few things to say, “The thing is after a defeat is not the moment to talk. But obviously, if someone is losing 6-2 5-2 with a double break and comes back, wins the set, and the rival leaves to the locker room for 12 minutes without coming back to the court… someone has to control this.”
He also remembered an incident he faced in Rio and said, “In Rio, they didn’t even let me change my shorts. I put my shorts inside out and they didn’t let me put them properly. So this is the thing and at the end of the day, there’s no punishment. And well that’s it. It’s all right, we have to congratulate Nishikori, he played better than me.”
Rafa is currently in Australia, ahead of the Australian Open 2021. He won in Melbourne, back in 2009. The Spaniard beat Roger Federer in an epic battle.
