Davis Cup quarterfinals: Spain suffers 1-2 loss against Netherlands as Nadal retires
Although Nadal fought hard against the Dutch in the opening set, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was unable to stop the 29-year-old from winning the first set
To be able to hit with Rafael Nadal on clay is a pipe dream for most, but Maria Sharapova went one better as she actually managed to beat the legendary Spaniard on the crimson surface in Rome and perhaps more importantly, captured the feat on camera.
Two minutes on court with the GOAT 🐐 @RafaelNadal #BucketList Was so nervous 😱😬 pic.twitter.com/mfUO2Xx79l
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— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) May 14, 2018
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The duo is in Italy for the ongoing Rome Open, a ATP Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Event.
Nadal, of course, is heavy favourite to seal the title as he is a true behemoth on on the earthen surface and fully deserves his his moniker of Emperor of Clay.
While he did come up short in last week’s Madrid Open, at the hands of Dominic Thiem, the 31-year-old Spaniard is expected to shrug off that surprise loss by romping home to his eighth Rome Masters title.
Sharapova, on a comeback trail like Nadal albeit for vastly different seasons, isn’t a slouch on clay either as her two French Open crowns suggest.
The 31-year-old Russian, among the most recognisable faces on the WTA Tour, lost to Kiki Bertens in the quarters of the Madrid Open but is expected to make a deep run in Italy.
Currently ranked 40th in the world, she’s been pitted against 16th seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia in the first round.
Nadal, meanwhile, will look to shrug of his ‘loss’ against Sharapova when he plays his first match in Rome.
Due to the fact that he’s a top seed, the southpaw has been handed a first-round bye and will face the winner of the Fernando Verdasco-Damir Dzumhur tie in the round of 32.
Rising stars Alexander Zverev and Thiem will be Nadal’s biggest obstacles while someone with the undeniable quality of Novak Djokovic, no matter how big of a rut he may be in at the moment, can never be written off.
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