Rafael Nadal won his 8th title in Rome after being bullied in the final for 1 set and a half by a surprising Sascha Zverev. The Mallorcan found the solution only after a lengthy rain delay (1 hour) to reverse a 1-3 deficit in the decider before winning 5 consecutive games.
However, Rafa (and the rest of the world) remained impressed by the level of tennis of Sascha. At 21 years of age, the youngster has already won 3 ATP1000, and he is leading the Race to London (or Year to Date Rankings). Besides this success, Zverev hasn’t recorded any deep run in slams, but that will come very soon, at least for Nadal.
Why Zverev will be a Grand Slam champion. NADAL
During a recent interview, Rafa commented
“It’s impossible to not have a great result in a Grand Slam when you have the level that he has.
It’s just time. If he’s not playing well in Grand Slams during the next two years, you can come back to me and tell me ‘you know nothing about tennis.’ But I believe that it is going to be a different story.
Tennis is tennis. It doesn’t matter – best of three, best of five. Playing best of five is a big advantage for the best players, and Sascha is one of the best players.”
Just a matter of time…
| HE’S COMING |
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