Rafael Nadal Edges Novak Djokovic as Champion Elect for Roland Garros Title

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 25, 2013

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It was only in the middle of February earlier this year when Rafael Nadal made his tentative, oft-postponed return to tennis after seven months out with injury.

Through his absence, conspiracy theories and rumors of all sorts spread about his absence from the sport.

Had the ATP suspended him on a drug charge? Were his knees even as bad as they were being made out to be? Were they worse?

The one abiding truth that we could all believe in was that Nadal, whose last act on the tennis court was picking up the thrown racket of his conqueror Lukas Rosol off the floor, would come back with all his virtues of dignity, circumspection both in victory and defeat and respect wholly intact.

Six titles in eight tournaments later, Nadal has inched his way back from the edges of our psyche to the forefront of our consciousness.

Regardless, the Spaniard still has his wits about him. Where Novak Djokovic talks and talks of the Roland Garros title being the number one goal of his year and his season, Nadal knows to pace himself and to look at the bigger picture. He is just pleased that he's back healthy and playing tennis.

Asked in Rome if entering Roland Garros as the fifth seed (and having to potentially play three of the top four players to win the title) would be a problem, Nadal answered:

The draws are tough and if you are fifth then you can have tougher draws but being 7 months out of the competition and still being number 5 is a miracle and I had a very good chance to be number 10 and there are lots of chances to be worse and I accept the situation [....] if I am fourth or fifth or sixth it is no difference. The important thing is to be healthy and play well.

Nadal eventually won the Rome title, defeating Roger Federer in the final, and in so doing ensured he would be ranked as one of the top four seeds. Not so long after, his seeding would go on to improve even more as Andy Murray pulled ou...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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