via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 31, 2022. Spain’s Rafael Nadal gives a speech to celebrates winning the men’s singles final with trophy. REUTERS/Emeahub Aws
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 31, 2022. Spain’s Rafael Nadal gives a speech to celebrates winning the men’s singles final with trophy. REUTERS/Emeahub Aws
Rafael Nadal has finally done it. The Spanish legend persevered against all odds to finally win his 21st Grand Slam. Moreover, this was also his second Australian Open title. Nadal defeated Russian World No. 2, Daniil Medvedev, in an epic five-setter battle that lasted over five hours.
However, Nadal, having written history, was not able to celebrate his victory with alcohol. He explained why that has been the case.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Rafael Nadal explains why he hasn’t broken his alcohol ban yet
Not only did Rafael Nadal become the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, but he also became only the second man to win each Grand Slam at least twice, after Novak Djokovic.
A journalist asked Nadal whether a 21st Grand Slam is enough to break his alcohol ban, which the Spaniard has had going for the past 4 months.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 31, 2022. Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning the men’s singles final with the trophy. REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Sadly, the 21-time Grand Slam champion shared he hadn’t had a sip of a celebratory drink. “I would love to celebrate,” Nadal explained, “but I was not able to.” Then, he explained the reasons for the same.
“I arrived to the bedroom after the anti-doping control,” Rafa shared. Moreover, the Spaniard also had his press obligations, which kept him busy.
In fact, it was only around 5 am that the 35-year-old was able to retire to his sleeping quarters. “I just tried to eat something and tried to sleep,” Nadal explained with a smile.
However, even when the champion did try to sleep early in the morning, “that was not possible,” he admitted. Naturally, the excitement of having won a Grand Slam proved too much for Nadal to be able to sleep.
Now, as he is set to return home, he further explained how his flight home would also be another reason for him not being able to drink.
Alcohol wasn’t the only sacrifice Rafa made for the Australian Open 2022
After his match with Yannick Hanfmann in the second round of the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal even admitted to not having eaten any chocolates at all.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 23, 2022. Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his fourth round match against France’s Adrian Mannarino. REUTERS/Morgan Sette
In an interview with Eurosport, Rafa Nadal explained how he had to swear off chocolates leading up to the Australian Open. In order to get into shape, the Spaniard ignored his sweet tooth.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
"The issue is I have great self-control inside the court. I don't get mad. I don't throw away the racket. But when it comes to chocolate it's harder, the level of self-control is different."@RafaelNadal has never been more relatable. 😂 🍫https://t.co/xBDlTa842V
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) December 8, 2020
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Certainly, the world saw how that worked in his favor, as he ultimately picked up a Grand Slam trophy for the 21st time- a feat no man has done ever before.
WATCH THIS STORY: 5 Rafael Nadal Shots That Made Commentators Go Wild at Australian Open 2022
