PARIS — On his favorite tennis court, Rafael Nadal was struggling on Friday. But this had nothing to do with winning or losing his French Open semifinal against Juan Martín del Potro, whom Nadal had just manhandled, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, to earn a spot in the final against Dominic Thiem. This was about Nadal, the pride of Spain, trying to do his postmatch interview in French. “I’m very happy to return to the final at Roland Garros,” he said. Nadal is a part of the Paris landscape now; his success at Roland Garros is a rite of spring.

Source: New York Times June 08, 2018 14:02 UTC