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Lionel Messi previously told Diego Schwartzman that Rafael Nadal was “lucky” to beat him at the French Open.
The Spaniard is the tournament’s most successful player in history, winning Roland Garros 14 times to cement his status as the best clay court player of all-time. Nadal has had his challenges though in the French capital – not least from Schwartzman.
The Argentine previously met his compatriots on a flight before the World Cup in 2018, just months after he’d lost to Nadal. Schwartzman had won the first set and was in command of the second before a rain delay halted the game with Nadal coming back to win when they resumed the following day.
The 31-year-old revealed in a conversation with his rivals during the Ultimate Tennis Showdown: “The first time I met him, it was before the World Cup in Russia in 2018. I lost to Rafa in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and I was a set and break up. And after that date, I had my flight from Barcelona and the Argentinians were doing their preparation for the World Cup there with the national team.”
Messi had observed Schwartzman’s efforts at the French Open, where Nadal has only ever lost on three occasions, winning 112 times to give him a 97 per cent success rate. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner told his compatriot that the 37-year-old was fortunate to get the job done.
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Schwartzman said: “So I went there with a few players and spoke [to him]. And the first thing he said to me was, ‘How lucky was Rafa?’ In Spanish obviously, ‘How lucky was Rafa with the rain?’ Because I was a set and a break ahead and the rain stopped the match.
“I was leading 6-4 3-1 and break point for 4-1 and after that we played like 15 minutes and then came back the next day. And after that I lost like, it was too easy for him playing with the sun at noon.”
Going into that quarter-final match back in 2018, Nadal had won 37 sets on the bounce at the French Open but Schwartzman ended that streak, albeit he lost in four sets with the Spaniard going on to claim another title, this time beating Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals and then Dominic Thiem in the final – both in straight sets.
Nadal has continued to pick up Grand Slams, although his tennis career will soon come to an end. Schwartzman meanwhile has only ever reached one semi-final – back in 2020 at Roland Garros when Nadal again ended his ambition
