Rafael Nadal challenges football fanatics, Maria Sharapova in her own world - Madrid Open diary

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  • Nadal at Atleti's Europa League game last Thursday.

    Rafael Nadal is frequently quizzed about football, particularly when he’s in Spain, being one of the most famous Madridistas on the planet.

    An avid Real Madrid fan, Nadal turned some heads when he showed up at rival club Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium last Thursday to watch Atleti face Arsenal in the Europa League semi-finals.

    The Mallorcan was photographed during the match with an Atletico Madrid jersey draped around his neck, and was asked about it during his press conference on Monday at the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital.

    “The other day I went to the Atletico stadium. It was beautiful. They have an amazing stadium. It was my first opportunity to go to that stadium,” Nadal explained in Spanish.

    “At the end, well, there is a problem in the society that we have today, that to be a real supporter of one team, it seems that you have to be anti another team. I just support Real Madrid. It’s a team that I know.

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  • “I have a lot of friends that are from Atletico. They are playing in a competition in Europe against an English team. I just went there to support Atletico Madrid. I went there. They invited me. I just wanted to enjoy the day, to see a great football match.

    “They gave me one of their jerseys. The president gifted me with a jersey. At night it was a little bit chilly, a little bit cold, and I just used it as a scarf. That’s all.

    “But it’s always the same stuff. There is maybe too much hypocrisy, or I would say you people in the media have to write too many things, so you have to explore some stupid things. That’s my point of view.”

    I hope his fans heard his words because what he said about aficionados of rival clubs also applies to tennis fanatics. Many Nadal fans are vigorously anti Federer, and many Federer fans are vigorously anti Nadal. Maybe the Spaniard’s views can get his followers to lighten up a bit?

    Nadal will begin his Madrid title defence on Wednesday against either Frenchman Gael Monfils or Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

    IN HER OWN WORLD

    Elsewhere, Maria Sharapova was spotted in the corner of the players’ game room, reading a book a few hours before her opening round match on Sunday, with the ATP’s media hour taking place just a few feet away.

    ATP/WTA combined tournaments are obviously busy and Madrid is no exception with something always happening on every inch of the Caja Magica.

    Finding a place to relax ahead of a match can be a struggle but Sharapova was unfazed by the roundtable interviews taking place next to her while she sat on an arm chair reading in peace.

    “I kind of zone out. I’m like, ‘You guys do what you got to do. I’m getting ready for a match. I have a book to read, more important things going on here’,” she said with a chuckle

    “No, I think it’s important to kind of find your own space, especially as you’re focusing and getting ready to play. We all have our routines. It’s kind of what you know, what you do, what you’re comfortable with. It’s like, ‘Why change them because there’s a media hour?’

    “No, I’m pretty used to, like, having a lot of – I’m good at having horse blinders on, just doing my thing, getting ready for what’s ahead of me, which is most of the time a tennis match.”

    In case you’re wondering what book she was reading, it was Alan Watts’ The Wisdom of Insecurity.

    After I asked Sharapova about what she was reading, the following exchange then happened between her and a journalist.

    Sharapova: Well, I have two books. What was I reading yesterday? Oh, I was reading a book by Alan Watts. What is it called? Something ‘of Insecurity’.

    Oh, my God, Alexander is going to kill me. I don’t know. I don’t have it with me. I can’t believe it. I’m freezing. But I’m reading Trevor Noah’s book and this one. It ends with something ‘Insecurity’.

    Journalist: ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity’.

    Sharapova: High five. Free chocolate. I don’t know what I think about it, but I’m in the middle of it. Did you like it?

    Journalist: Haven’t read it.

    Sharapova: How did you know about it?

    Journalist: Google check.

    Sharapova: The cheater. Wow! Actually the whole book is about being in the moment, like not being on your phone. So that was great timing. You still get chocolate for that.

    The other book she’s reading is Trevor Noah’s.

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