Miami, May 12 (EFE).- The Argentine tennis player Juan Martín del Potro, champion of the United States Open in 2009, said this Friday, in an interview with EFE, that he would like to see the Spanish Rafael Nadal play a Grand final Slam against an important rival like Novak Djokovic.
“As a tennis lover, it’s always nice to see Nadal in finals against Djokovic and other great players,” said the retired Argentine athlete, who is visiting Florida (USA) this week as an adviser to the Miami Padel Club.
The South Florida club begins tomorrow its participation in the Pro Padel League (PPL), the first professional league for padel teams in North America.
“I know that (Nadal) has had problems lately, but he will have his time to compete,” said the Argentine, adding that the Spaniard is a player who does not go to a tournament if he is not completely sure that he is capable of winning it.
Regarding the future of his rival on so many occasions on the field, Del Potro said that he does not believe that age influences an issue such as retirement, but that what makes the difference is health and the motivation to move forward.
Del Potro had words of praise for the also Spanish Carlos Alcarazof whom he said that “it is already a reality” and a player who “does incredible things”, an athlete, in his opinion, who will mark “his own history”.
“After the ‘big three’ -Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer- it has meant a great change,” he said regarding Alcaraz, winner a few days ago of the Masters 1000 of Madrid.
Regarding the expected appearance of a possible replacement for him in his own country, Del Potro pointed out that both in Argentina and in the rest of Latin America it is more difficult for good players to come out due to the lack of sports facilities, compared to Europe and the United States. .
“Just as I came out, there is an illusion that a player can compete” at a high level in the future, stressed the Argentine, who had to leave tennis this 2022 weighed down by injuries.
Focused on his role as advisor to the Miami Pádel Club and the team’s participation in the PPL starting tomorrow, he pointed out that it is a good opportunity to promote this sport in the US.
“There is a lot of potential for paddle tennis in the United States”, highlighted the Argentine tennis player, for whom, in fact, the level of this sport in the North American country is already “super competitive”, which will be further reinforced with the championship that begins this Saturday in the city of Tampa.
The Padel Club of Miami is one of the seven PPL franchises and includes some of the best players in the region such as Marta Marrero, Rubén Rivera, José Grizpe, Simon Charaf Jones or Mateo Coles, among others.
The PPL’s inaugural season will kick off tomorrow in Tampa on Florida’s west coast with seven teams and conclude with the PPL Cup on June 10-11 to determine the league champion.
(c) EFE Agency
2023-05-12 21:26:25
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