Lifestyle
Nadal: ‘I was close to doing something big’
“It wasn’t to be, but I was close to having a real chance of doing something big. That’s how I feel.”
One sentence from Rafael Nadal provides huge insight into what was going through the Spaniard’s mind during the days leading up to Roland Garros: the quality of his practice sessions, as well as a lack of physical ailments for the first time in many months led the Mallorcan to believe in his chances of winning another Coupe des Mousquetaires.
“I was ready to take steps forward by winning several matches,” explained the 22-time major champion after losing to Alexander Zverev on Monday.
“It’s something I haven’t felt at any other tournament, and here I did,” he added, referring to his recent outings in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome.
“I played a good match, taking into account how I arrived. At times I played well, really well. In other moments I made mistakes, but you can’t build a house in two days. Even though I played in previous tournaments, I had a week here practising without limits. That’s the reality, only the week before Roland Garros.”
Nadal was progressing in practice leading up to his 19th appearance at the tournament he has dominated for two decades. But luck drew no favours for the 37-year-old as a result of playing with a protected ranking and being unseeded. Nadal would face fourth seed Zverev in his opener.
Although Nadal took it as a challenge, doubling down on his motivation and desire, in reality, he had a mountain to climb. Playing his opener against the German, the recent champion in Rome, was too soon.
“I managed to play without limitations, I fought and I had real chances of taking the match to a completely different situation against one of the best players in the world,” said Nadal. “Two things prevented me from doing it— he is very good, and I needed more [matches] to play with instinct in all those moments and to get the confidence to understand what I had to do in those key points.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.”
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Nadal explained that despite the loss, he is pleased with the physical progress he has made this clay-court swing.
“The last few months have been very intense in every regard. I’m proud of everything I’ve been through to get here. I’ve always had the help of everyone, every day: family, my team, friends… It would have been impossible without them,” he said.
“There were a lot of lows, genuine lows, and many months with no light at the end of the tunnel. I stayed disciplined, but always hopeful, going every day to train and do things as well as I could to have a chance of making it here. And in the end I did it.
“I’m going to take a few days and I’ll see how I feel. In my head, I’ll play the Olympics and then we’ll see.”
Nadal maintains the hope that he can play the 2024 Olympic Games at Roland Garros, where he could represent his country for the final time in his illustrious career.
“I’m confident I’ll be well prepared when I get there, but at the Olympic Games I’ll be in the same situation I’m in now. I could face anyone in the first round,” said Nadal. “It’s a completely different situation to what I’ve had for the rest of my career, regardless of any problems I may have had. If I arrive fit and well — hopefully a little better than today, and feeling that I’ve had a month and a half more of practice and confidence — I’ll come here and enjoy the Olympics. Who knows what might happen afterwards.”
LITERALLY living inside the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain for three years and counting, Filipina ace Alex Eala observed firsthand how tennis champions are made.
In fact, in some way, the 15-year-old sees herself treading the same ground and facing the same challenges as World No. 2 Rafael Nadal himself, who again bagged another Slam in his pocket today, after defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets, in the French Open tournament.
It also helped, too, that she literally sees him on the court.
“Oftentimes, he plays beside me or on the court next to me. It’s so inspiring, even if you’re just watching him play from afar, you can learn a lot,” Eala said during a virtual press conference with the Philippine media on Sunday night.
Aside from being an oustanding athlete and tennis coach, she also considers the 34-year-old Nadal as an inspiring mentor.
“One of the biggest things I can take away from Rafa is his humility. [He’s] so grounded. He’s achieved more than I can dream of, and the fact that he’s achieved so much and he’s still very nice to everyone here, so down-to-earth, it’s very admirable for him,” she said.
It’s from him that Alex takes inspiration in celebrating her success in a very modest way. Just last Friday, she made the whole country proud after a gallant semifinals finish in her French Open stint.
Eala lost to Elsa Jacquemot, conceding the home ground to the French netter, 6-3, 6-2
Austin Butler just shared the details of his wild night at Paul McCartney’s house party.
The star-studded affair was not only the most “insane” time Butler’s had in a while, but it was the most glamorous, being surrounded by his childhood icons and legendary music artists like Meryl Streep and Bruce Springsteen.
Butler, 32, reflected on the experience while speaking with Jimmy Kimmel, who was also lucky enough to be at the party. During the June 17 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the two gushed about having last seen each other at McCartney’s house.
“Last time I saw you was at maybe the craziest party I’ve ever been to in my whole life,” Kimmel, 56, admitted before Butler agreed: “That was insane.”
Kimmel noted: “It was like a party where Tom Hanks is going: ‘Oh my God, can you believe who’s here?!’”
Emblem rockers like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ringo Starr graced McCartney’s home, leaving Hollywood’s elite to mingle with music royalty, the pair said. Even Taylor Swift was there, according to Butler and Kimmel.
The Elvisstar said the “Anti-Hero” singer wasn’t a normal guest, she was the DJ. “Yeah, she was DJing at one point,” Butler told Kimmel, who then quipped about how Swift isn’t booked and busy enough, she must oversee the music for McCartney’s party, too.
While Swift’s appearance may have been cause for celebration among some of the other guests, Butler confessed a different idol sent him into complete awe. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Meryl Streep in the same room as him.
“She’s just the greatest. I felt like, you know in high school when you have a crush on somebody and they’re across the room and you don’t really know how to say hello to them?” he said. “That’s how it was. I saw her there and I couldn’t believe I was in the same room.”
Too star-struck to approach the It’s Complicatedlead himself, Butler headed into McCartney’s kitchen to bide his time and eat some vegan pizza. Thankfully, his friend offered to introduce him and Streep.
“I couldn’t believe I was meeting Meryl Streep with Paul McCartney’s vegan pizza in my mouth,” Butler confessed.
He was then pulled into a circle of people he couldn’t pass the opportunity to spend time with. Butler was invited to “have tacos with Snoop Dogg and Robert De Niro.”
“I dropped everything I was doing and I was there in a heartbeat,” he told Kimmel.
Another crazy conversation Butler had was with Bruce Springsteen. The 74-year-old recounted a time when he was fearless, hopping the fence at Graceland to sing Elvis Presley a song.
Butler had heard rumors that Springsteen had done that but wasn’t sure it was true until he confirmed. Of course, Presley wasn’t there when Springsteen approached his front door.
Entertainment
Paige Spiranac gives hack for golfers with big boobs as she shares video of her swing in slow motion
PAIGE SPIRANAC gave fans a hack for golfers with big boobs and shared slow motion video. The American has become a popular sports influencer since she stopped competing in 2017.
She has since carved out a successful career on social media with over 4million Instagram followers.
In a recent post on X, Paige gave tips for players on the course who have bigger busts.
She wrote: “I’ve been doing these slow mo videos and in all seriousness it’s wild seeing what my chest has to do through the swing so my arms can clear lol I can totally understand why women with larger chests who pick up the game feel stuck and uncomfortable.
“My tip is under on the right arm and over the chest on the left at set up. Also stand a little farther away from the ball!”
Paige had just a brief year playing career but is now making huge amounts through social media.
Research from Vegas Insider suggests the 31-year-old earns as much as FOUR TIMES more per post than Scottie Scheffler.
The study estimates that Paige earns between $8,477 (£6,692) to $12,716 (£10,000) per post.
Scheffler, on the other hand, earns $2,000 (£1,578) to $3,000 (£2,368) per post.
Paige is also now inviting followers to join her on Passes, where her memberships run from £4 to £80 a month.
She announced the news on Instagram alongside some trademark racy photos.
A glimpse inside Paige Spiranac’s glamorous life…
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