Giron praises Nadal: "I always thought he was trying too hard, but he really is a great guy".

Ranked 49th in the world, Marcos Giron is in the best period of his career. After reaching two finals and winning his first title at Newport in 2024, the American reached his highest ranking, 37th in the world, last August.

For Tennis Up To Date, the 31-year-old talked about Rafael Nadal, who retired after the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga in November.

"It's hard not to be a fan of Roger Federer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. As for Rafa, I wasn't his biggest fan until we met on court.

I've grown to like him, he's a hell of a player! (Nadal beat Giron in three sets in the first round of the Australian Open 2022).

To be honest, I always thought he was making a big deal of it, when he'd say: 'Oh, I respect all the guys on the circuit', but in fact, that's just the way he is.

He really is a great guy. But on the court, he's a killer. I respect him enormously, as well as all the other players of the same generation," assured Giron.