French Open Honors Rafael Nadal With A 10-ft Statue. Should Active Players Get Statues?

Roland Garros has unveiled a new Rafael Nadal statue. The statue built by Spanish sculptor Jordi Díez Fernandez is made of steel and stands at around 10 feet tall. The statue shows Nadal hitting his signature forehand with his feet off the ground.

Nadal is the best clay-court player ever to play the game. His clay-court record is unlikely to be matched for decades, if ever. Nadal is truly deserving of the honor.

But the statue seems premature. Should an active player be honored with a statue at a tournament he is playing? It feels like Roland Garros could have waited until Nadal retired to install the statue.

What message does it send to players who have to walk by the statue before playing Rafael Nadal at the French Open? That they are about to face the man who is immortalized in a steel statue.

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Daniil Medvedev Elated After Winning ONE MATCH at Roland Garros

Clay is not Daniil Medvedev’s best surface. In fact, he hates clay. You don’t have to ask him. He will tell you how much he hates clay – during matches and during the post-match press conference.

Here are some of Medvedev’s quotes on clay.

Honestly, there’s nothing I like on clay

There’s always bad bounces, you’re dirty after playing. I really don’t enjoy playing on clay

What can I do man??! This surface is awful!

You like to be on dirt like a dog? I don’t judge

Please disqualify me. It’s safer for everyone

But the quotes don’t quite capture his hate for the surface.  Not surprisingly, Daniil Medvedev had a rough clay-court season. When he came to Roland Garros, no one expected him to do well. Certainly, not Medvedev himself.

But Medvedev won his first-round match against Alexander Bublik in straight sets. He had accomplished the impossible – winning his first match ever at Roland Garros.

On its Twitter feed, the ATP Tour asked, “What’s your favorite Roland Garros moment?”. Medvedev couldn’t wait to chime in.

You have to love a top tennis player who likes to laugh at how bad he is on clay. He is currently ranked number 2 in the world.

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