Rafael Nadal commented on Stefanos Tsitsipas’s statement, which described him as the favorite at the Barcelona Open, emphasizing that he said it out of respect alone.
Stefanos Tsitsipa in his first press conference at this year’s Barcelona Open, among other things, referred to the presence of Rafael Nadal, whom he labeled the favorite simply by virtue of his participation in the tournament.
Specifically, the Greek tennis player was asked whether he considers himself the favorite following Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal, and he immediately pointed to the 12-time champion:
“You can ask Rafa, I think he’s the favorite (laughs). I’ve definitely had good weeks on clay, but Rafa is Rafa. He’s back, playing good tennis, I’m sure of it,” said the world No. 7, with Nadal, however, disagreeing:
“It’s silly (laughs). Let’s be realistic. He knows that’s not the case. I guess there’s a lot of respect because of what I’ve achieved here, but everyone knows I’m not the favorite to win this tournament.”
“There’s just a big history behind me that my opponents take into account. Maybe in today’s match I was the favorite, I have no idea.”
“I know that in the match against De Minaur I won’t be the favorite, but that doesn’t matter either. Those are things for you to write about, for me, it’s just the experience of playing against a top-level player. It will be a good test for me, we’ll see how I respond.”
Nadal ended up losing his match against De Minaur. Therefore, he is out of the Barcelona Open after just two matches, but he expressed that he was satisfied with the result nonetheless.
The Spanish legend explained in a press conference after the match that the most important thing for him was to leave the tournament without a new injury. He has done so, and therefore, he has chosen to look forward rather than dwell on the defeat.
