“You leave sad, when the last moment came, I thought: “It’s over”” | Relief

Paris.- Rafael Nadal’s adventures in Paris are usually so long that in the first round matches his team occupies only two or three rows of the penalty area. reserved for players. On Monday it was packed from top to bottom. Eight and nine rows in which nor there wasn’t even any free space. Normal: it was a special day.

His three coaches Carlos Moya, Mark Lopez And Gustavo Marcacciothey sat in the front row next to Rafael Maimo, his physical therapist. Right behind him was his agent, Carlos Costa; your press attache, Benito Perez-Barbadillo; his connection with Nike, Geordie Robert Toots; and your doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro. In the third row are his father Sebastia and his three uncles – Rafael, Miguel Angel and Tony. In the fourth – his wife Shishka with little Rafa Jr.; his sister Maribel; and his mother Ana Maria. And there’s even more family behind -even his 93-year-old maternal grandmother-, sponsors and friends. Nobody wanted to miss the match, which could be Nadal’s last at Roland Garros.

After the defeat from Alexander Zverev, etc.Everyone in the box stood to listen to Nadal’s words in front of the microphones and to hear Philippe Chatrier’s ovation for her king.. A few minutes later, Toni Nadal followed a path he knew by heart: he went down the stairs into the penalty area and headed towards the players’ area. He affectionately hugged Josep Perlas, the legendary Spanish coach and former Davis captain, and then spoke with Relevo for several minutes, a conversation that was constantly interrupted by people who had come to greet him. Many are in French, but also in English and even German.

“When the Roland Garros tournament approaches, it is always special for Raphael and for everyone. This is the most special place on the track for him and we wanted to be here again to experience it.“says the man who was Nadal’s mentor and coach until 2017, when he decided to step down due to the arrival of Carlos Moya.

Director of his nephew’s academy in Manacor, Tony is still a big tennis fan and retains the analytical skills he always used to help Rafael. “His level is there and it is not far from the best. Although they lost in three sets, I never saw the match being lost. Even when he lost the second set, he thought he had a chance of winning if his physique held up. Sometimes you see that he cannot keep up with his opponent, but Zverev could keep up perfectly. “He lacked a little precision in important moments.”

Memories of the great fights with Djokovic

“Every year Rafa must come here with plus several victories under his belt and then one or two rounds to gain strength. When they asked me if I could go far here, I said that with a little luck in the draw and two or three wins, I would be one of the favorites in the tournament,” adds Tony, dressed in a shirt and jacket, in an interview with Relevo.

Previously, during the time of Nadal’s absolute dominance in Paris, Tony walked through these very halls in a tracksuit. AND While the emotions he felt in boxing on Monday were special, for Tony there is no comparison to those finals and semi-finals with Federer and Djokovic..

“For me, the finals and some of the semi-finals were more exciting, like when we beat Djokovic in the 2013 semi-finals, that five-set match 9-7 at the end… It’s true that I was very sad today and you go away sad because when the last moment comes you say, “It’s over.” But in the end you know it has to happen“. And is it over? “I don’t know. “I don’t talk about tennis with my nephew.”