Rafa, the owner of Paris, will visit Buenos Aires. Photo: REUTERS / Yves Herman
Argentine tennis could give itself a big surprise at the end of this 2022, because it will receive a visit from Rafael Nadal, one of the best players of all time. Although there are still no official confirmations, the Spaniard, who on Sunday expanded his legend by winning the Roland Garros title for the 14th time and adding his 22nd Grand Slam, would have landed in our country in November to perform an exhibition in the scope of an exclusive tour of the American continent.
As reported by the newspaper The nationContract details have yet to be agreed, but negotiations are well underway and an announcement will be made shortly.
The match was to be played on November 23 at Weiss Mary Teran Stadium Rocky Parkhome to several Davis Cup series in the past, remodeled for the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games 2018 and stage where at the end of 2019 the exhibition between Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev was held in front of about 15 thousand people.
Nadal won his 14th title in Paris on Sunday and 22nd in a Grand Slam. Photo REUTERS / Yves Herman
The Spaniard’s rival would be Juan Martín Del Potro, who continues to struggle today to fully recover from his right knee injury and give himself the chance to play competitively again. Although the presence of Tandil’s man is not confirmed, he too had signed to play for the Swiss three years ago, but was later replaced by the German. For this reason, the organization of the event, led by Lisandro Borges, CEO of the Sports Vision company and responsible for the Buenos Aires date in the World Padel Tour calendar, is also evaluating other options.
Nadal’s visit will be part of a tour that he and his team are planning for several American cities. And on his way to our country, the former world number one (today he is fourth in the rankings) would also carry out a clinic and other activities, such as a dinner for special guests.
The Majorcan will thus set foot in Argentina for the first time since February 2016, when he arrived to play the Buenos Aires ATP. On that occasion he reached the semifinals, in which he lost to Austrian Dominic Thiem, then champion.
In 2015, in his second participation in the ATP in Buenos Aires, Nadal was champion by beating Monaco in the final. Photo Gustavo Garello
It was his third appearance at the tournament, which he first played in 2005, at the start of a successful season for him. In that BALTC clay court debut, he lost in the quarter-finals to Gastón Gaudio, who also lifted the trophy afterwards.
He only returned to play the tournament in 2015, having exited the year before at the last minute due to a back injury. And on that occasion he shouted champion with victories in all rounds against local tennis players: he beat Facundo ArgoelloFederico Delbonis in the quarterfinals, Carlos Berlocq in the semifinals and Juan Mónaco in the final.
Nadal was also in Argentina in 2013, when he arrived with Novak Djokovic as part of a tour that closed an almost perfect year for the Spaniard (10 titles – five at the Masters 1000, in addition to Roland Garros and the US Open-, a record of 75 wins and seven defeats and the return to the top of the standings).
With freighttwo in the world at that moment, danced for a while aboard a ship, in front of the Perito Moreno glacier, and days later, they attended an exhibition at The rural and on the other the stadium Orpheus of Cordobawhich marked David Nalbandian’s farewell to tennis.
Nadal, who won his fourth title of the year in Paris on Sunday (after the ATP 250 in Melbourne, the Australian Open and the ATP 500 in Acapulco), played the Grand Slam of France undercover and with his foot left asleep.
He will now undergo a treatment of pulsed radiofrequency injections to “remove the permanent pain sensation” he feels due to the Müller-Weiss syndromea degenerative disease of the tarsal scaphoid, a bone in the arch of the foot, essential for its movement.
“If it works I will keep playing. Otherwise it will be another story. I will wonder if I am ready to go one step further with no guarantee that it will be okay, to undergo an operation that would not guarantee me to be competitive again. It is a life decision that at the moment I am not willing to take. We will go step by step “, commented the Spaniard after his victory at Roland Garros.
With great uncertainty about his future, it seems Argentine fans will be happy to see him live at least one more time.
Source: Clarin
