I am left-handed, so I hope I can be a little bit similar to Rafael Nadal one day: Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa has joked that she hopes to be a "bit similar" to Rafael Nadal someday with regards to achieving success while playing tennis with her non-dominant hand.
Nadal has dominated the tennis circuit with his left hand, but he is naturally right-handed. Badosa, on the other hand, is naturally left-handed but plays with her right.
The Spaniard booked her place in the third round of the French Open following a tense victory over Slovenia's Kaja Juvan. After the match, she signed the camera lens with her left hand, which caught the attention of the on-court interviewer, who asked her which hand she favors.
"I am left-handed," Badosa said. "So I hope I can be a little bit similar to Rafa I hope one day."
Right hand, left hand....getting a win 😁
#RolandGarros | @paulabadosa https://t.co/NIt0KZ8R9R
During her post-match press conference, Badosa spoke about her win against Juvan. The Spaniard said hard-fought victories such as these would benefit her in the long run.
"A lot. I mean, these kind of matches give you a lot of confidence that I'm already like competitive again, fighting until the last point," Badosa said. "That's very important for me, because maybe I was struggling a little bit on that.
"Sometimes I don't want to complain or be that emotional on court, but sometimes I need it to give everything and to push myself. Yeah, today I think I was back on that competitive spirit, and I'm very happy about that."
Badosa was also asked for her thoughts on the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. The Spaniard revealed that she's not a football fan, but in the same breath, insisted that she would support the team from her home nation.
"I will support the Spanish team," Badosa said. "As a good Spanish I will support Real Madrid. I went to the semifinals and I really enjoyed the football match, but I'm not a football fan, to be honest. But I really enjoyed the sport, and, yeah, and I hope to have a good match there. I just enjoy the sport there, and I don't really care. I want the best one to win, but to be honest, I will go with the Spanish team."
Rafael Nadal continues quest for 14th French Open title against Botic van de Zandschulp
Nadal booked his place in the third round of the French Open by beating local favorite Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
Nadal hammers Moutet!
Rafa wins easily over the Frenchman 6-3 6-1 6-4 to set a meeting with Botic Van de Zandschulp in Paris 3rd round https://t.co/mufoHsNuDY
The Spaniard will face 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp, who downed Fabio Fognini, in the third round. This will be the first meeting between the two players. Nadal could meet defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
The Spaniard is gunning for his 14th French Open title and 22nd Grand Slam overall.