RAFAEL NADAL KING OF TENNIS

2018 Roland Garros R2 Rafael Nadal bt. Guido Pella  6/2 6/1 6/1

Next opponent - Richard Gasquet  

“I'm happy about the things that happened this afternoon, of course. I played a solid match, and it's true that during the match I improved the level. The forehand, especially after the first set, I think starts to go quicker and finding more of the right spots, playing more inside the court and hitting many more winners,” Nadal said. 

“So just happy for that and happy about the concentration that I was able to hold all the time, the right focus on the match to keep doing things better and better.”

Real Madrid fan Rafael Nadal said he was sorry that Zinedine Zidane had quit as coach of the European champions but hailed the Frenchman as a "good, humble person".

Zidane stunned football on Thursday by quitting as Real coach just five days after leading them to the Champions League title.

"It's tough to accept that he's leaving," said Nadal.

"He is a great coach who had a lot of success with the team. He is a good, humble person who represents the right values.

"He is the perfect example of how someone who has been successful does the everyday things normally without saying negative things about the club, players, referees.

AFP

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• Highlights

• On-court interview

• Post-match interview for Eurosport

• Press conference