tennis
Kerber on Nadal: “It’s crazy how his body can take it”
Has great respect for Rafael Nadal’s achievements: Angelique Kerber. Photo: Frank Molter/dpa
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Tennis pro Angelique Kerber would, if necessary, like Spain’s star Rafael Nadal, also get fit injections for success.
Tennis pro Angelique Kerber would, if necessary, like Spain’s star Rafael Nadal, also get fit injections for success.
“If it were a Wimbledon final, I would probably do it too,” said the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. Nadal had his foot numbed multiple times over two weeks to win the French Open for the 14th time.
Record Grand Slam winner Nadal has been suffering from Müller-Weiss syndrome, a rare and degenerative disease, for several years. According to his own statements, the 36-year-old had had injections against the complaints before each of his seven games in Paris. He also took anti-inflammatory drugs throughout the tournament.
“So much fighting spirit and discipline”
“It’s crazy how his body can take it all and that he managed to win the tournament again. There must be so much fighting spirit and discipline in him. I have the greatest respect for Rafa, he deserves what he has done like no other,” said Kerber. If you want to be successful, you have to go beyond limits. “It doesn’t always have to be pain. It’s the same in training, when you push yourself to the limit and beyond to get better.”
The 34-year-old wants to play as long as she is fit, has passion and “I can feel what I would be missing. So I listen to my gut. When I no longer feel the fire, I will make the decision alone.”
At 40, like US superstar Serena Williams, who wants to make her comeback in Wimbledon, she will no longer be active. “I’m excited to see her again. To see how fit she is, how she trained. After such a long time, you actually need match practice to find your way back into it. But Serena, who has achieved so much, may not need that much time to play at a high level again, »said Kerber, who triumphed in the final against Williams at Wimbledon in 2018. A year after her last game, she returns to the tennis tour. The 23-time Grand Slam winner received a wild card for the lawn classic in London.