Nadal boldly wears pink despite the curse
The Spaniard wore pink when he was stunned by Soderling at the 20
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is one of the few athletes who looks fashionable in neon pink. Maybe the bold choice was supposed to make a statement as he bounced around ahead of his first-round match against Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday.
The Spaniard trailed by a break in the first set and took more than one hour to escape in a tiebreaker against Lajovic’s inspired play. All the while, his devoted fans must have been in agony, seeing shades of the disastrous 2009 French Open.
More than eight years have passed since Nadal famously lost his fourth-round encounter against the big-hitting Robin Soderling. It was his first defeat at Roland Garros after winning the French Open from 2005-08.
At least one fan was in denial about Nadal wearing pink, opting to see his shirt as a shade of orange.
The ultimate bomb was dropped when it was revealed how many majors Nadal has won while wearing pink.
Some followers might argue that Nadal’s 2012 French Open title was claimed in a pink shirt, but a closer look shows that it was more of a fuchsia.
In New York, the 15-time Grand Slam champion picked up momentum to close out his 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-2 victory over Lajovic, but his performance will be colorfully considered as he moves ahead to the second round.
Will Nadal’s pink attire underscore a third US Open title, or will it become the scapegoat in defeat?