Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. I’m super excited to share some awesome news with you all about the latest happenings in the world of tennis. Today, I want to talk about a thrilling match between World No. 74 Zizou Bergs and the legendary Rafael Nadal at the Rome Open.
In May, Bergs got his chance to play against Nadal, who was likely making his last appearance at Foro Italico. The 25-year-old Belgian won two qualifying matches to reach the Rome main draw and went toe-to-toe with Nadal, even taking the first set with a 6-4 scoreline. However, after putting himself in a position to be a set away from claiming the biggest win of his career, Bergs failed to sustain the same level in the remainder of the match. Nadal eventually completed a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win.
Zizou Bergs acknowledged that there was a mental hurdle to overcome when facing Nadal but also noted that he noticed the Spaniard’s level “was not the same as before” during their meeting. In an interview, Bergs explained how he had to mentally prepare for facing Nadal and how he tried to neutralize the Spaniard’s heavy forehand. He also mentioned that going to Nadal’s backhand was challenging because it could also play very hard, making it difficult to compete with those aspects of the rally.
Nadal, who was playing his third tournament since coming back from hip surgery, admitted that he didn’t play well and that it wasn’t the way he wanted to play. Despite this, he acknowledged that he missed a lot of time in the last two years and that it wouldn’t be right to set unfair expectations. He explained that his level has been a bit more on and off since his return and that matches like this help him find stability again.
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