"What Rafael Nadal did in Australia is worthy of a Netflix movie; it's something superhuman" - Monte-Carlo tournament director Zeljko Franulovic
Zeljko Franulovic, the tournament director for the Monte-Carlo Masters, recently lavished praise on Rafael Nadal's triumph at the 2022 Australian Open. Franulovic lauded the Spaniard's comeback win against Daniil Medvedev in the final as a "superhuman" feat, and even went as far as to say it deserved to be turned into a Netflix movie.
After losing the first two sets against Medvedev last month, Nadal turned the match on its head in the next three sets. From being on the verge of going a break down in the third set, the World No. 5 recovered with aplomb to win the contest in dramatic fashion.
Rafael Nadal's 2-6, 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory also made him the first man in tennis history to win 21 Grand Slams.
in 1908
in 1960
in 2022
4 - Rafael #Nadal is the 4th player in Men’s tennis history to win the Australian Open final after having dropped the first two sets
Fred Alexander 🇺🇸 in 1908
Rod Laver 🇦🇺 in 1960
Roy Emerson 🇦🇺 in 1965
Rafael Nadal 🇪🇸 in 2022
Warrior.
#NadalMedvedev #AO2022 #AusOpen https://t.co/Sovhd8m8IJ
Speaking in an interview with French daily newspaper Var-Matin on Friday, Franulovic remarked that the Australian Open final was unlike anything he'd seen before. He expressed awe at Nadal's "extraordinary mental strength", citing that as the reason why the match eventually went in favor of the former World No. 1.
"I followed [the 2022 Australian Open final]," Franulovic said. "What Rafael Nadal did in Australia, to me, is worthy of a Netflix movie. I've never seen that. It is something superhuman. Nadal has extraordinary mental strength."
Franulovic:
"I don't think the tournament will suffer from his absence since it will be justified, like when a player is injured."
What?! TF.
pressreader.com/article/282557… https://t.co/7w5aaNKHo9
Franulovic also commended Medvedev for forcing Nadal to lift his level. The Croat opined that a match as incredible as that couldn't have taken place if both players were not so evenly matched. Franulovic believes Medvedev deserved just as much praise as Nadal at the end of the day.
"We must not forget Daniil [Medvedev] who had an equally incredible match," Franulovic said. "It takes two for [a match like that]."
"For me, there is no need to even announce that Rafael Nadal will be playing at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters" - Zeljko Franulovic
Coming to the topic of whether Rafael Nadal will play the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, Zeljko Franulovic claimed he didn't have any doubts in his mind. In fact, the Croat sees no need to even announce Nadal's participation given how likely it is.
Considering its status as "one of Nadal's favorite tournaments" and its position in the lead-up to the French Open, Franulovic declared with conviction that fans will see the Spaniard at the ATP 1000 event this year.
"For me, there is no need to even announce [that Rafael Nadal will be playing at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters]," the Croat said. "He will be there, it is one of his favorite tournaments and ideal in his preparation for Roland Garros. He will come here to win, as always, with his 11 titles".
🎾🇪🇸 The King of Clay!
Rafael Nadal wins his eleventh Monte Carlo Masters title, beating Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
2005 ✅
2006 ✅
2007 ✅
2008 ✅
2009 ✅
2010 ✅
2011 ✅
2012 ✅
2016 ✅
2017 ✅
2018 ✅ https://t.co/PGQPBNfxbi
For the uninitiated, Rafael Nadal has won the Monte-Carlo Masters a whopping 11 times, with his latest triumph coming in 2018. He had also won the event eight times on the trot between 2005 and 2012.
In the most recent edition, the World No. 5 suffered a shock defeat in the quarterfinals at the hands of Andrey Rublev.