Nadal backs ‘humble’ Zidane as Real coach
Real Madrid fan Rafael Nadal on Tuesday backed the controversial appointment of Zinedine Zidane as the Spanish side’s new coach, saying it would be good for the club.
Speaking to reporters after his first-round victory in the Qatar Open over fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, Nadal said he wished the Frenchman the “best of luck.”
“It’s obvious that he’s good, I think, for the players. He’s good for ... one of the most important clubs of the world. Real Madrid has somebody like him on the bench managing the club, and I am happy for him,” Nadal said.
“I know him. He’s a good person, a humble person, and I think he deserves to be where he is today. “I wish him the best of luck.” Nadal also said Zidane was part of the “history of Real Madrid”.
Zidane was appointed as coach on Monday, following the dismissal of Rafa Benitez after just seven months in charge.
Real Madrid is third in La Liga, four points behind leader Atletico Madrid.
The tennis star said he felt “very sorry” for Benitez.
“It’s tough to start a new project and after a few months go out, so I feel very sorry for him.
“But if the feeling is a change is needed, I think Zidane is the perfect position today.”
Surviving scare
On the court, Nadal lost the first set in a tiebreak and looked set to follow defending champion David Ferrer out of the tournament.
Ferrer lost earlier in the day to Ukraine’s Ilya Marchenko, ranked No 94 in the world.
But 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal rallied after a difficult start to take the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.
“In the second and third sets, I played well, little mistakes and I was very positive,” he said.
“I think I changed a little bit at the beginning of the second (set). I played with a little bit higher intensity and being a little bit more aggressive, going a little bit more for the shots.
“When I was able to make that happen, everything changed, no?”
The powerful Carreno Busta squandered three set points in the first, before finally winning the tiebreak 7-5.
The world No 67 stretched his opponent at times and it looked as if Nadal, who won last week in Abu Dhabi, might exit the competition in the first round as he did last year.
But he recovered to give himself a second-round match against the “dangerous” Robin Haase on Wednesday.
There was no such luck for Ferrer, who like Nadal the previous year, crashed out at the first hurdle while defending his title.
Ferrer, this year’s No 4 seed, struggled throughout, losing his serve in the first game, hitting 43 unforced errors and eventually going down 7-6, 3-6, 2-6 in an eventful clash lasting more than two hours.
“He was better than me all the match. From the first set, he deserved to win the match,” said a gracious Ferrer, the world No 7.
The Spaniard, who said he lacked energy throughout the match, was playing with a new racket but said that was not the reason for his loss.
“I am happy with the racket. The problem is not the racket, it’s my serve,” he said.