Long Absence Due To Injury And Not Superior, Nadal: It's No Problem

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal. BETWEEN/AFP/Patrick Hamilton/aa.

JAKARTA - Entering the Italian Open as a non-seeded and ranked 305 is not a problem for tennis legend Rafael Nadal. He said he was "introduction to playing in Rome".

"All matches today are tough for me, difficult and more unpredictable than before for me, especially in clay," said the 37-year-old tennis player who has won the Italian Open 10 times, quoted from AFP, Thursday.

"I accept that role. I accept that challenge. I am excited by the way I can play if I continue to work in the right way and my body allows."

Quoting ANTARA, Thursday, May 9, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion has just returned to the tour after a long absence from injury.

He will start his struggle in Rome against Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs, and the Spaniard is not underestimated but confident in his current match preparations.

"I am excited to be able to play in Rome. This is a tournament that brings back many unforgettable memories," said Nadal, who will turn 38 on June 3.

"But day after day. It will be my third week almost successively on this tour, the third tournament almost successively."

"It hasn't happened in a long time -- that's good news. I have to keep going. I have to keep exploring how I can play every day."

"But I'm happy with what I feel today."

Nadal is not the only top tennis player who has an injury problem. The young stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are absent in Rome.

"When you force your body to the limit, you will be injured," Nadal said.

"When the game gets faster and faster, you'll get injured."

"When you play for most of the year on the hard field and the surface is tougher on your body, you'll get injured. That's the simple answer."

But he said that such problems could not be avoided.

"It's also about tournaments, about business, and about sports," Nadal said.

"In the end, the players want to make money. The tournament wants to make money. The cycle comes at the same time."

"We accept that role. Things happen."

"You can't complain about it. You accept what happened. You keep going. You're injured, you have to recover well."

"They are still young (Alcaraz and Sinner), they will have plenty of time to play in Rome and achieve a lot of success here. No drama."