On Wednesday match against Tommy Paul, Rafael Nadal started the game with a comfortable lead of 6-3, but Paul resilience saw him do a comeback 7-6(7-4), and completed with 6-1.
Paul’s biggest career win became the first defeat of Raphael Nadal before the quarter-finals in Bercy.
In his postmatch interview, Nadal took time to credit Tommy for his victory.
“I think he played aggressively, a lot of great shots. I had my match in that second set, with a set and break’,Rafael Nadal said.
“I played a terrible game there. I didn’t deserve the victory playing that bad in that key moment, no.
“Until that moment, it was okay, a good match for me. Knowing that this is my first match in a while – and this surface especially, you cannot make mistakes with your serve.
“We are always ready to find excuses, but in the end, it’s always the same. You play well, you win; you don’t, you lose.
“For moments, putting everything in a pack, I was playing quite well. Then at the right moment, I didn’t make the right things. So that’s it – he played well, he’s having a great year.”
-Rafael Nadal
Author-Isaac Papa Nketsiah
