World No. 91 Pedro Cachin was absolutely thrilled after landing Rafael Nadal’s shirt, describing it as “a dream come true.”
On Monday, 29-year-old Argentinian Cachin took on Nadal in the Madrid Masters third round. In his first meeting against Nadal, Cachin competed pretty well but it was the 22-time Grand Slam champion who sealed a 6-1 6-7 (5) 6-3 win.
Moments after the match ended, Cachin stopped Nadal at the net and asked him for a gift.
“Thank you very much! You’ve made my dream come true, thank you. I don’t know if this is protocol or not, but I wanted to ask you, could I keep your shirt or a towel or something?” Cachin asked Nadal at the net.
Nadal, who is likely playing his last season in pro tennis, granted Cachin’s wish. Later, the 29-year-old posted about it on his Instagram Story.
“Thank You Rafael Nadal. It was a dream, this is so nice,” Cachin captioned his Instagram Story.
Rafael Nadal gifted shirt to Pedro Cachin© Pedro Cachin – Instagram
Cachin on playing against Nadal
After pushing this version of Nadal into a three-setter but still losing, Cachin simply wondered how it felt to play against the Spaniard when he was in his prime and fully healthy.
“What I said to [Alex] Corretja (his coach) at the end of the match is that I can’t imagine what Rafa [Nadal] must have been in his best period and at five sets, because if being at his worst puts you in such uncomfortable situations, both in terms of play and aura, it must have been incredible,” Cachin said after the match.
Pedro Cachin © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
For Cachin, just winning a set against Nadal will certainly be something he will never forget. In the second set – the set he won – Cachin twice failed to serve out for the set and blew two set points before finally realizing his third set point in the tie-break.
In the third set, Cachin recovered from an early break to tie the decider but then suffered breaks in the fifth and ninth games and ultimately lost to Nadal.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login