© @planettrish X account
From hip surgery, to the long rehabilitation period. Rafael Nadal’s mind was overwhelmed by many thoughts before taking to the court in the first round of the Brisbane International against Dominic Thiem. “Thoughts? First of all, the emotion of returning to the pitch after a long time and after a very tough journey.
Secondly, however, the doubts about the physical performance. I trained well, but when you enter the pitch you always have doubts. It’s not a which I say to protect myself. I don’t need it. I don’t want to use any excuses. The people around me know how I felt a month and a half ago.
I’m speaking from the heart and I’m very honest with all of you.” The Spanish champion could only answer the numerous question marks about his physical condition with a more than convincing performance. A performance that allowed him to overcome Thiem with a score of 7-5, 6-1 in an hour and 29 minutes of play.
The funny dedication to Rafael Nadal
Nadal tried to always be aggressive and put pressure on his Austrian rival, both during Thiem’s serve and when coming out of his rival’s serve. The turning point came at 6-5 in favor of the Spaniard, when Thiem showed too much uncertainty and missed a comfortable forehand on the fourth set point conceded to Nadal.
Thiem’s confidence diminished as the minutes passed and the Spaniard took advantage of it at the start of the second set. A decent backhand pass allowed him to get the break and quickly take a 3-0 lead. Nadal, at 4-1, inflicted the knockout blow on a Thiem who was now out of the dispute from a mental point of view.
One of the funniest moments of the match occurred in the stands, when people in the crowd held up a sign on which the funny phrase was written: “I love you more than my mom!” Below the post shared by the @planettrish X account:
Haha kid near me with this sign pic.twitter.com/4kKSV0yGvP — Trish #VamosRafa💪🏽 (@planettrish) December 31, 2023
