After his defeat against Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 of the Australian Open (7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2), this Sunday in Melbourne, Adrian Mannarino provided two important pieces of information. First, he confirmed that he had injured his adductor on the second of four set points from which he benefited during this enormous tie break of the first set, 12 points to 11, in running on a badly hit drop shot from his opponent. Then he admitted that even if he had negotiated this reverse penalty better and therefore converted this set point, he would probably have lost the match anyway.
“You will never know what would have happened if I had played that backhand differently, maybe I would have been better mentally but in my opinion, even if I had won that set, I believe the outcome of the match was more or less sealed, said the Frenchman, disappointed but not defeated, at a press conference. I wasn’t expecting this cushioning at all, I pushed a little harder at the start and I immediately felt like a little stab in the adductor. Behind, I never managed to use normally.”
Davis Cup
Mannarino falls, the Blues led by Great Britain
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11/27/2021 At 11:06
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A heartbreaking for “Manna” who, until then, was more than equal with Nadal, to the point that many were beginning to wonder if he was not capable of unbolting the Spanish superstar. Starting with Nadal himself, who paid a vibrant tribute to his victim afterwards. “He played at a very high level, his ball was fast, super difficult to control, his serve was unreadable and he managed to open the court very well to the rally, declared the former world No. 1. When someone beats Karatsev, after having put three sets in Hurkacz, it is because he is doing a lot of things well. They really are the kind of players who have a knack for making you uncomfortable. This win means a lot to me.”
Mannarino: “I took a little stab in the adductor”
Already a precedent against Federer at Wimbly…
Nadal, it is true, is not the first legend that “Manna” is not (so) far from making goat in Grand Slam. We remember this 1st round of the US Open 2015 where he had led two sets to nothing against Andy Murray before collapsing in the other three. Much more recently, we especially remember this 1st round last year at Wimbledon against Roger Federer, against which he led two sets to one before twisting his knee at 4-2 against him in the 4th set, and finally having to give up at the beginning of the 5th.
Mannarino didn’t want to compare these two bits of bad luck. “Against Roger, it’s an injury that still sticks in my throat because it was quite unexpected, it came at a time when I felt really good physically and where I had the feeling that I had the match in hand. hands, he said. While there, I’m not going to say that I felt the injury coming, but I could see that I was a bit on the tightrope after three fairly trying first matches. And unfortunately, it didn’t hold. It’s frustrating but it’s still good times to live, on big courts, against tennis legends.”
Santoro record in sight?
Another major difference: At Wimbledon, his injury had cost him two months of absence, and again because he had “forced” his return, probably too early, to the US Open. There, it should only be a matter of a few days. More generally, Adrian Mannarino has recovered his head well on this Australian Open, he who confessed to having considered the end of his career in recent weeks, tired of a lack of results and the atmosphere weight of tennis in the Covid era.
Instead, he left with two good performances (against Hubert Hurkacz in the 2nd round then Aslan Karatsev in the 3rd) and his best Grand Slam result outside Wimbledon, where he had also reached the eighth in 2013, 2017 and 2018. 33 years old and 47 major tournaments on the clock, it’s remarkable. And we will not swear that he will not one day beat the “record” of Fabrice Santoro, who waited for his 54th attempt to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, here, in 2006.
Kick between the legs, Mannarino wins a spectacular point to unbreak Karatsev
While waiting for this prospect, Adrian Mannarino will therefore watch the end of this Australian Open as a privileged spectator. In particular Rafael Nadal, whom he had plenty of time to probe very closely. “What I find super embarrassing about him is his serve, we rarely talk about it but he is super difficult to play, his ball goes quite fast and doesn’t bounce, analyzed the Val d’Oisien. After, in the rally, he makes a few mistakes, he probably still needs a little confidence and adjustments. But as if by chance, when the points are very important, not only does the fault no longer occur, but blows come from elsewhere. It’s the difference between the very best and the secondary players.”
The self-descriptor of “secondary player” seems severe, bordering on pejorative. This is twice in six months that Mannarino shows that he has the level to falter legends. With a little more “self-confidence”, and a little less bad luck (the two being related?), it could eventually pass one day. That’s all the “evil” we wish him.
Nadal – Mannarino: The highlights of the match
Rolex Paris Masters
Stunning, Monfils makes an appointment with Djokovic
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11/03/2021 At 7:02 PM
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Rolex Paris Masters
Mannarino offers himself Basilashvili and waits for Monfils, Gaston knocks down Rinderknech
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11/01/2021 At 6:23 PM
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