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French Open fans get behind 'super hero' Nadal
© afp.com/ALAIN JOCARD

French Open fans get behind 'super hero' Nadal

Published by , Monday 05/27/24 14:53

From Australia, China and the United States, Rafael Nadal fans descended on a chilly and damp Roland Garros on Monday, hoping to inspire their "super hero" to victory at the French Open.

Nadal, the record 14-time champion, was taking on Alexander Zverev in a tough first round encounter for a player whose career twilight has been stalled by injury.

His army of fans hope that whatever happens on the Philippe Chatrier Court, which the Spanish star has dominated for the best part of 20 years, he will remain true to his word and not retire despite his 38th birthday fast approaching.

"You always have to keep the faith in Rafa, he will win," Hazel, a 28-year-old fan who had flown in from China for a second straight year after being left disappointed when Nadal withdrew in 2023, told AFP.

"The most important thing is that he stays healthy," she says, as she proudly showed the banners she had made with the colours of Spain, Nadal's face and the message "Welcome back my super hero".

Nadal has only lost three times in 115 matches at the tournament since his title-winning debut as a 19-year-old in 2005.

He said at the weekend that there was a chance this may be his last French Open but insisted he was still keeping the door "100% open" on continuing his career.

"You see a lot of 'Thank you Rafa' shirts. He's a monument at this tournament," said 41-year-old Manolo who has come to Europe from the United States to watch Nadal and then Real Madrid play in the Champions League final in London this Saturday.

He has seen Nadal win at Wimbledon and the US Open as well as Paris but admits Monday's clash with world number four Zverev "will be very difficult".

"I hope he beats Zverev... Rafa is Rafa," he said.

"It's possibly the last time he plays here, so we're very happy to watch him," said Alsi, a 40-year-old fan living in Australia.

Source: AFP

Latest comments comments
Wonderful Jack! Well done!
Fred Phoesh Fred Phoesh il y a 2 heures
"Warns competition"? Lmao. Please tell me you're trolling with this headline. It remains painfully obvious that De Minaur simply isn't a Slam contender. Hell, Alex would need a plethora of injury luck just to win a single Masters 1000 event in his career.
LeylahsLegion77 LeylahsLegion77 il y a 21 heures
Retire!!! Jeez!
ad6771 ad6771 il y a 1 jour
Too bad that the TOTAL counts.......beside many other "countings". :)
StAdam StAdam il y a 1 jour
Idemooooooooo GOAT
StAdam StAdam il y a 1 jour
EVERYONE "hopes" to win a medal... Rafa has no chance,neither does Novak. Those days are OVER.
Fred Phoesh Fred Phoesh il y a 2 jours
Top des commentaires comments
"Warns competition"? Lmao. Please tell me you're trolling with this headline. It remains painfully obvious that De Minaur simply isn't a Slam contender. Hell, Alex would need a plethora of injury luck
1 thumb_up
LeylahsLegion77 LeylahsLegion77
Can Andy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿/🇬🇧 manage to get the win on his favourite surface in this 1st rd match against Alexei & progress to the 2nd rd 🤔
1 thumb_up
Aladdin Sane Aladdin Sane
Daniil in 2
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anstjdgnszza anstjdgnszza
Hurkacz in 2
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anstjdgnszza anstjdgnszza
Well played Marketa 👏 👌
0 thumb_up
Aladdin Sane Aladdin Sane
ranking Top 5 Monday 17
herman7 1 herman7 12pts
Kaltz 2 Kaltz 12pts
Giulio C 3 Giulio C 12pts
Mitsy 5 Mitsy 12pts
Play the predictions