"I'd say Rafael Nadal, he is really fair and has unbelievable sportsmanship" - Emma Raducanu on which tennis player would make best chair umpire
Emma Raducanu is of the opinion that Rafael Nadal would make for a great chair umpire. The Brit feels the 21-time Grand Slam champion is "really, really fair" on the tennis court.
As part of a promotional rapid-fire Q&A session organized by the Indian Wells Open, the 19-year-old was one of several players asked to pick someone that would be a good fit as a match umpire. Raducanu chose the Spaniard, saying the World No. 4 had an "unbelievable" spirit of sportsmanship.
"I'd say Rafael Nadal [would make the best chair umpire]," Raducanu said. "He is like really, really fair and has unbelievable sportsmanship."
Paula Badosa also agreed with Raducanu's assessment and picked Nadal for the same reasons.
"Rafael Nadal," Badosa said. "He always plays fair."
Raducanu and Badosa's opinions are not surprising by any means, since it is widely accepted that the 35-year-old is among the fairest players on the tour. For the way he has conducted himself with integrity both on and off the court, the Mallorcan has been awarded the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times in his career till date.
Congratulations to @RafaelNadal for winning the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the fourth time 🙌
#ATPAwards
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff picked Nick Kyrgios for completely the opposite reasons. The American jokingly remarked that it would be funny to see Kyrgios in a situation where he is on the receiving end of arguments and complaints for a change.
"Probabky Nick [Kyrgios], because he always argues with the umpire," Gauff said. "So it would be cool to see him in a different position."
twitter.com/troublefault/s…Kyrgios: blah blah call the score, nobody came to see you speak blah blah blah
Bernardes: and YOU play 🙄🙄🙄
I swear Carlos is dying to give Nick an open-handed smack in the mouth 💀 twitter.com/troublefault/s… https://t.co/bPqGyBO918
Felix Auger-Aliassime went with Maria Sakkari, noting that she was very nice, while Aryna Sabalenka picked Andrey Rublev.
"I like Maria Sakkari," Auger-Aliassime said. "She is very nice."
"I think [Andrey] Rublev," Sabalenka said.
Carlos Alcaraz named Iga Swiatek as his choice of chair umpire, while Swiatek and Ons Jabeur felt that Auger-Aliassime would make a good umpire.
"[Iga] Swiatek is a fair player," Alcaraz said.
"[Felix] Auger-Aliassime," Swiatek and Jabeur said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, on the other hand, nominated his former idol and former World No. 1 Ana Ivanonic for the role.
"Ana Ivanovic," Tsitsipas said. "She used to be my favorite player when I was young."
Here's a video of the interview uploaded to Twitter by the tournament's official handle:
Who from the opposite tour would make the best umpire? 🤔
The players spill the beans... 😂
#IndianWells https://t.co/yLe0pgDFEg
Rafael Nadal will face Reilly Opelka in the 4th round of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters
Coming to proceedings on the court, Rafael Nadal will take on Reilly Opelka in the fourth round of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion scored an impressive straight-sets victory over Dan Evans in his third-round encounter, while 17th seed Opelka defeated Denis Shapovalov in three sets.
Reilly Rallies 😌
@ReillyOpelka digs deep to beat Shapovalov 6-7 6-4 6-4 to reach R4 for the first time in the desert!
He awaits Nadal next...
#IndianWells https://t.co/i8xfSg9WNx
The two have faced off only once till date, with the former World No. 1 prevailing over Opelka in straight sets at the 2021 Rome Masters. Though the World No. 17 is expected to offer more resistance this time around on his preferred surface, Nadal is still the favorite to secure his place in the quarterfinals.
Also Check Out: Indian Wells Masters 2022 Results