Ejercicio Grupo A - 2 · Inglés PAU Canarias Junio (Ciencias) 2022

Rafael Nadal’s body may be getting weaker, but his desire is not

One of the most remarkable traits of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer throughout their

incredible careers has been the way they have maintained their hunger for titles and enthusiasm for the

sport, no matter the obstacles.

The happiness on Nadal’s face as he completed an incredible comeback to beat Daniil Medvedev in the

5 final of the Australian Open told its own story. First, he needed a month and a half to recover from foot

surgery, which left him wondering if he would even make it to Melbourne. Then, a month later, he had

Covid, which also interrupted his preparations. Now, finally Nadal is back as champion and, for now, the

most successful ever. He referred to winning his first grand slam at 19 at the French Open in 2005 as a

“super-special moment, but when you’re 35, and up until six weeks ago you did not even know whether

10 you would be able to play in the tournament, it is more emotional than the first one, no doubt about that,”

he said.

Nadal will now go to the French Open, where he has won the title an astonishing 13 times, with renewed

confidence. Nadal’s victory may also inspire Djokovic — the world No. 1 who beat him in Paris last

year— to come back even stronger. Djokovic was unable to play at the Australian Open because of visa

15 issues due to not being vaccinated against Covid, so he will have a point to prove. But the way Nadal

played throughout the Australian Open will surely convince him he has more grand slam titles to win.

“A month and a half ago, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to be here. But you have given me the

energy to keep trying to come back next year. Things can change quickly, but I feel lucky to have the

chance to compete this way. It has been amazing for me and unforgettable. I feel confident that I’m going

20 to keep going, keep fighting and playing this sport that makes me happy.”

Both Djokovic and Federer were quick to congratulate Nadal on social media. Their rivalry has pushed

each other and though Nadal is top of the pile for now, he is too modest to say he is the best. “I will never

say I deserve it,” he said. “I don’t care much if I am No. 1 or not. For me it’s about enjoying nights like

today; that means everything for me.”

25 Asked what has taken him to this point, Nadal said: “Love for the game, passion, positive attitude and

working spirit, along with the right people next to me, helping every single day.” It’s this remarkable

humility that has been present throughout his career that has allowed him to accept the painful defeats and

enjoy his many highs. On the evidence of the past two weeks, there is more to come.

Fragment adapted from The Guardian, January 2022

2. ANSWER the questions below. COPY no more than 10 words and/or a number from the text to answer each question. (1.5 points)

a)

How did Nadal describe his first important victory as a teenager?

b)

How will Nadal face the French Open after his win in Australia?

c)

What prevented Djokovic from playing in the Australian Open?