'Rafael Nadal has won the French Open but...', says former No. 1

It has been an unusual and particular year for all of us and obviously for the world of tennis. A season split into two parts, several canceled or postponed tournaments served as a side dish but in any case it was yet another incredible season for the Spanish champion, world number two Rafael Nadal. This year the Iberian champion won only one tournament, but of great importance such as Roland Garros, Slam that allowed him to join Roger Federer and become (together with the Swiss) the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, the second tennis player to reach 20. This season Rafa seemed to struggle more than expected as shown, for example, the defeat in Rome against Schwartzman, but the Spaniard arrived in Paris in the best conditions and literally beat the competition by winning the tournament without losing a single set and paving the way in the final. the number one in the world and his great rival Novak Djokovic. In an interview with Tennis Majors, Chris Evert highlighted the broader point she wanted to make about the lack of recognition for female athletes across sports. The 18-time Slam champion believes that the feats of Navratilova and Graf deserve to be talked about in the same breath as Rafael Nadal's 13 French Open wins.

Evert on Rafael Nadal's record

"I think I get more sensitive also about the fact that Martina’s won Wimbledon nine times and nobody really talks about that," Chris Evert said. "Rafael Nadal has won the French Open, how many times, 13? Has anybody won a Grand Slam more than nine times? Once in a while (Navratilova’s record) will show up at Wimbledon. But it’s like, God… I mean, I think my claycourt (Roland-Garros) winning seven gets more publicity than her nine Wimbledons. So I’m like: why don’t we celebrate that? And what about Steffi (Graf), and the Golden Slam (in 1988)? I mean, Olympics and four Grand Slams. If a man had done that, it would be mentioned all the time. Nobody ever mentions that," the American added. But during the recent interview Evert clarified that she doesn't have any personal vendetta against Novak Djokovic, and that she is only trying to give women's tennis the attention it deserves. "We're still fighting for recognition as athletes," Evert said. "It carries over to life, carries over to the work force. It goes back 50 years ago, there were only men athletes out there (as a majority), only men participated in sport. I think (it's) that stigma of 'women need a voice'. I think that it’s gotten so much better but it’s still hanging in the air, (the idea that) men are still the stronger s*x," the American added. "Male athletes are still more popular than females. Trust me, I’m not on a vendetta against Novak Djokovic. I'm horrified that he might even think that. It’s nothing personal against Novak at all. It was just the principle of: if you’re going to say that, say it’s the greatest rivalry in men’s tennis. It’s really simple."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/34HeJrP