"He is an amazing guy both on and off the court and I look forward to seeing him play for several more years" - Ons Jabeur on Rafael Nadal
Ons Jabeur has heaped praise on Rafael Nadal, calling him an "amazing guy" on and off the court.
In a conversation with the Madrid Open's official website, the Tunisian was asked to give her opinion on the Spaniard and his achievements. In response, Jabeur described Nadal as an inspiration and said that she was hoping to see the 35-year-old play for several more years.
"It is a great inspiration, to see how many times he has won here, hopefully I can win at least one. He is an amazing guy both on and off the court and I look forward to seeing him play for several more years."
Jabeur also said that she is delighted to be in Madrid and is working on improving her claycourt skills.
"I am delighted to be in Madrid. I like to play on clay. I have positive feelings, I feel like I am improving every day and I am much more confident.”
Jabeur got off to a good start at the Madrid Open, winning her opening match against Italy's Jasmine Paolin 7-6(9), 6-1. The Tunisian will next face either Alize Cornet or Varvara Gracheva in the second round.
@Ons_Jabeur d. 
Paolini 7-6, 6-1
First win of the day! 🙌
🇹🇳 @Ons_Jabeur d. 🇮🇹 Paolini 7-6, 6-1
@WTA | @WTA_Espanol | #MMOPEN https://t.co/nqF8Zg3Lfh
Rafael Nadal confirms his participation at the Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal recently took to Twitter to confirm his participation at the Madrid Open. The Spaniard said that despite limited preparation, he would look to perform at a high level in his home tournament.
"Despite arriving just before preparation and being difficult, I really want to play and play at home since the opportunities are few. To try to do it in the best possible way. See you in Madrid."
🏻
A pesar de llegar justo de preparación y ser difícil, tengo muchas ganas de jugar y jugar en casa ya que las oportunidades son pocas.
A tratar de hacerlo de la mejor manera posible 💪🏻
Nos vemos en Madrid 😉 https://t.co/tiD5m6lWle
Nadal has won the Madrid Open five times, in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017. Last year, he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a pretty impressive season so far, winning 20 out of 21 matches. He won the Australian Open after coming back from two sets to love against Daniil Medvedev in the final. Nadal also won the Mexican Open in Acapulco and the Melbourne Summer Set 1 without dropping a set.
He reached the final of the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost to Taylor Fritz after suffering from chest pain. The 35-year-old later confirmed that he had suffered a rib stress fracture that would rule him out for 4-6 weeks. He subsequently withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, but is set to return to action in Madrid.