French Open: 'Nice gesture from Rafa' - Boy surprises Nadal in 'very special' moment after match in Paris
Published 27/05/2022 at 16:42 GMT
"It was a funny moment at the end of the match after they [Rafael Nadal and Botic van de Zandschlup] shook hands, there was a little boy running towards Rafa Nadal," explained Eurosport's Barbara Schett in the studio after the Spaniard had clinched victory in the third-round match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. While Nadal was surprised by the court invasion, it was a nice encounter.
There was an unexpected and heartwarming moment after Rafael Nadal sealed his comfortable progression through to the fourth round of the French Open at Roland-Garros.
Nadal delivered a statement performance to storm past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-2 6-4 to reach the fourth round at the tournament he has won a staggering 13 times in his illustrious career.
It was a very fine display from the King of Clay as he continues his march towards what he hopes will be a 22nd Grand Slam singles title having already triumphed at Melbourne Park earlier this year.
As he clinched the victory over the 26th seed, Nadal was unexpectedly greeted by a young boy on the court as he was putting his racquets away and gathering himself by his bench on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Eurosport's Tim Henman observed that it was not the kind of thing you often see on a show court at a Grand Slam - despite it being a nice encounter which the Parisian crowd enjoyed.
"Yeah, I think Rafa was probably a bit surprised as it’s not what you're expecting," Henman noted in the Eurosport Cube.
“He [the security guard] is thinking, 'wow, I haven’t quite done my job'. But I think the kid was probably looking for a souvenir, asking for a racquet or a wristband or something.
"But it’s not necessarily what you expect to see on one of the show courts at a Grand Slam."
Barbara Schett added: "It was a funny moment at the end of the match after they [Nadal and Van de Zandschlup] shook hands, there was a little boy running towards Rafa Nadal.
"I don’t know how he got there, but it was a nice gesture there from Rafa. Very cute to see. A very special moment.”
Having sealed victory over Van de Zandschulp, it was the 301st of Nadal's career at Grand Slams, and the 35-year-old joked that it showed his age.
“It shows two things when you achieve these numbers,” Nadal said. “The first one is you are very old.
“The second is that I have had a great career. I am happy with how things have happened in my tennis career.
“I have had tough moments with injuries, but I have enjoyed great experiences in my life because of tennis.
“I feel fortunate to be able to enjoy a lot of things that I could never dream about.”
The Spaniard will next take on Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the fourth round, with the rising star from Canada coached by Nadal's uncle Toni.
- - -
Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+
Join 3M+ users on app
Download
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article