Kasatkina on Nadal’s RG Triumph: I Was Crying with Him

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday October 21, 2020As a longtime fan of the King of Clay, Daria Kasatkina has always made it known that Rafael Nadal is her favorite tennis player to root for.Tennis ExpressWith that knowledge in mind, I asked the 23-year-old Russian how she felt about Nadal’s 13th Roland Garros after her victory over Elena Rybakina on Tuesday in Ostrava. As expected, she was quick, and decisive, with her answer."Yes, that was sweet,” she said. “I was enjoying so much watching the final and I was crying with him while he was staying with the [Coupe des Mousquetaires]. The tears were falling from his eyes, it was very sweet.”


Kasatkina, a former quarterfinalist in Paris, went on to praise the genuine, humble nature of her favorite player, nothing that his appreciation of the moment and his love for the sport impressed her even more than his tennis.“It's like he's winning 13 Roland Garros, 20 Grand Slams, and it still means so much to him and this is the real love to the sport, I think,” she said. ]]>

Richard Pagliaro is Tennis Now Managing Editor. He is a graduate of New York University and has covered pro tennis for more than 35 years. Richard was tennis columnist for Gannett Newspapers in NY, served as Managing Editor for TennisWeek.com and worked as a writer/editor for Tennis.com. He has been TennisNow.com managing editor since 2010.