[The Epoch Times, June 10, 2022]Following the hard-fought Australian Open earlier this yearGrand SlamGold Cup, Spain’s “Barbarian Bull”Nadal(Rafael Nadal) wins the French Open again on June 5Grand SlamGold Cup. So far, Nadal has won an unprecedented 22 Grand Slams in total, and this year’s French Open championship is his 14th French Open championship in 18 years. The 36-year-old championship is the oldest so far. It is no exaggeration to say that the Roland Garros stadium in Paris is called “Nadal’s back garden”. He achieved a proud record of 112 wins and 3 losses at the French Open, which is not only unprecedented, I am afraid it is unlikely that there will be “comers later”!
This year’s French Open deserves a special mentionNadalmagical journey. On the eve of the French Open in the Rome Clay Clay Masters, Nadal was injured and lost, and this was a congenital scaphoid deformity of his left foot, and he barely caught up with the French Open with drug treatment.Both injured and not enough warm-up, coupled with the 36-year-old age, was not optimistic about winning the championship before the game, and as a result of the pumping, Nadal, who was the fifth seed, was divided into the upper half, known as the “zone of death”. , starting from the fourth round of the round of sixteen, you may encounter the top ten players, especially in the quarter-finals.ball king, is also the defending champion Novak Djokovic (Novak Djokovic), and the king has just won the championship in the Rome clay court. It is the most vigorous stage, and Nadal is considered to be at a disadvantage. If you can pass the level of the ball king, then you may encounter a rising star known as the “little bull”, Calos Alcaraz, known as the “successor of Nadal”, and Nadal only recently Madrid Clay Masters lost to Alcaraz! Even if they can pass the test, the opponent in the final may be a top ten player. Therefore, Nadal was underestimated before this French Open.
However, the development of things is really unexpected, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it “falls below the glasses of experts”. The first three rounds seemed like a warm-up, and they all passed the three sets smoothly. The fourth round of the round of 16 was really difficult. Felix Auger-Aliassime, a young Canadian player and world No. 9, really stood in the front, and Aliassime’s new coach was Nadal’s uncle. Toni, he was Nadal’s coach when he debuted, and the two have won several Grand Slams together. Although Uncle Toni is neutral, it is hard to believe that he will not teach Ariassim how to crack Nadal’s ball. way. Sure enough, Ariasim came in fiercely and won the first set 6-3. Although Nadal won the second and third sets 6-3 and 6-2, Ariasim immediately took it 6-3. In the fourth set, in the final set, Jiang was old and spicy, and Nadal won again 6-3. The five-set match took a total of 4 hours and 21 minutes. It was more difficult for the injured veteran Nadal. This is the “third” five-set battle that Nadal has participated in 112 French Open matches in 18 years! After the game, Nadal emotionally expressed that “just enjoy it and come to this stadium for a year”. He was fortunate to have survived a difficult game with his feet, and he didn’t know how it would be down.
Sure enough, the opponents in the next quarter-finals areball king, This is the 59th encounter between the two since their first confrontation in 2006, the tenth time at the French Open, and Nadal has only lost three games at the French Open in 18 years, two of which were planted in the hands of the king, and both Let the king get the French Open Gold Cup. Therefore, for Nadal, this battle is a bad side, not to mention that he has only experienced a hot battle of 4 hours and 21 minutes, but the king is easy to pass in three sets, and this game is arranged at night, the stadium environment It is not conducive to Nadal’s performance. However, after all, “the ball is round”, and God’s arrangements are always unexpected. With the fans cheering and cheering for Nadal, the ball king lost his usual calmness, and his coach also found that the ball king’s self-confidence was affected. Nadal warmed up faster and won the first set, but the king quickly counterattacked and won the second set. Nadal then won the third set, and in the critical fourth set, the king was defeated in the second game of the set. There is a move to smash the net belt with a racket. Nadal withstood the pressure and won in the stormy sea, with three to one four sets (6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4)), a cross-night battle that lasted 4:12 ( It ended at 1:16 in the morning), and it was extremely difficult to advance to the semi-finals.
Although the opponent in the semi-finals is not the “little bull” originally thought, it is replaced by Alexander Zverev, a young German player who has won four sets. He defeated Nadal in the Madrid Clay Masters. The two of them have faced each other many times in the past, and Nadal also predicted that Zverev would soon win a Grand Slam, and Zverev was ranked earlier.Big Three“The succession ranks. Therefore, this level is very difficult to pass. Sure enough, after the start of the fight, the two of them strongly saw each other, you come and I go back and forth every point, and the first set was a 6-6 tiebreaker. After resolving the four points at the end of the set, they came up and won. The second set continued the first set, and the two were deadlocked to 6-6. In order to save the ball, Zverev seriously sprained his ankle and fell to the ground screaming in pain, and finally burst into tears. Retired. Although only two sets have been played, it has taken three hours, which shows the tragic situation of the game. As Zverev said, his own recent situation is good, and it is enough to win the “Xiaomanniu” in four sets from the quarter-finals. It proves that if the battle continues without being injured, it is hard to say who will die, and God has arranged such a dramatic ending, we can only say “God helps Nadal”!
After passing the semi-finals, Nadal’s opponent is the 23-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud, the eighth-ranked clay master. Interestingly, Rudd has been training at the tennis academy opened by Nadal since September 2018. The battle between the two is called the “Battle of Clay Master VS. Apprentice”. After all, this is Rude’s first appearance in the Grand Slam final. It is not easy to play against a veteran. In the end, he only lasted 2 hours and 18 minutes and lost 3-6, 3-6, 0-6 in three sets. Self-deprecating “being eaten alive”. Unbelievably, Nadal ended the game with 11 consecutive rounds, and in the third set he rewarded his opponent “Baggo (0)”. Nadal, who fought with anesthesia and was injured, miraculously accomplished great achievements: the 14th French Open and 22 Grand Slam Cups.
What will the future be like? After the game, Nadal said: “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I will work hard and try to move forward!” Nadal is a model in the tennis world, not only for his good skills, but also highly praised for his character. Playing in a proper manner, not slapping the racket, not complaining, and the “determination, humility, and tenacity” of the spirit of “never give up” has a more profound impact on the younger generation. The 21-year-old Polish star Lga Swiakek, who is shining and has a promising future in the world, regards Nadal as an idol and learns Nadal’s calmness and calmness in the face of success and failure, helping her find a job. The way tennis players face the highs and lows of life can more calmly face the pressures on and off the court. And player Djokovic praised Nadal’s fighting spirit in his congratulatory speech at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, and Roger Federer also praised: “Your incredible career, selfless dedication and indomitable fighting spirit are very important to me. And the countless people around are a kind of inspiration.” Yes, when the epidemic is raging and the world is depressed and depressed, Nadal’s spirit of “never give up”, “fight bravely” and “never give in” is just right. To inspire the world and provide valuable inspiration for the people of the earth, “As long as you live, there is hope”, “As long as you don’t lose your resolve, never give in and have righteous thoughts, you can always find a way to survive.” I sincerely hope that you will overcome your foot disease and continue to move forward, Nadal!
The author is a special researcher of the China Economic Research Institute
Responsible editor: Zhu Ying