Pedro
Cachin commented on the controversial request for Nadal's shirt after his
defeat at the
Madrid Open. The Argentine tennis player has had an irregular
season with just two wins in 14 matches, which has dropped him out of the top
100.
However,
the 29-year-old was a protagonist at the Madrid Open. He achieved his first two
wins of the year against
Sebastian Ofner and
Frances Tiafoe (20th seed),
securing a spot in the Round of 32 against Nadal. The Spaniard won 6-1, 6-7,
6-3 in over three hours of play.
Cachin's unusual request to Nadal
Controversy
arose after the match when, at the net handshake, Pedro Cachín asked Nadal if
he could give him a shirt or towel as a memento of the match. The 22-time Grand
Slam champion agreed, but social media was flooded with criticism towards the
Argentine: “I don’t care. I got a t-shirt from my idol, one of my idols.”
“Many
people I saw on Twitter talk about how you can ask for a t-shirt from someone
who played against, and won against you,” he said. “I wanted to do it after the
match in the locker room but I was scared that when I finished the match I
would never see him again.”
Nadal's run
at the Madrid Open ended in the next round against Jiri Lehecka. The Czech
player was asked after the match about Pedro Cachín's request and if he would
do something similar: “When you go on the court and you go there for the win,
then it’s tough for me to run after him and to ask him if he can give me
something,” said Jiri Lehecka.
“Everyone
can have his own opinion on this thing. I totally respect what Pedro did. It’s
absolutely fine for me. I have zero problem with it,” he added. “But for me, I
would not do such a thing. I would do this maybe after the whole tournament,
after, when I see him somewhere, just asking for a photo like I did after our
practice.”
Dream come true for Cachin
The South
American player commented in his Madrid press conference that Nadal is his idol
and that his dream has been to play against him since he saw him win Roland
Garros in 2005.
And he did
not miss the opportunity. Despite coming off a streak of 15 consecutive losses
since October 2023, Cachín achieved consecutive wins over top-50 players: “It
was difficult to think about playing Rafa in the third round because I needed
to win two matches – but then I won two matches,” Cachín added.
“I watched
Rafa against De Minaur, and he won. For me and for my family, for my friends to
watch me on that court against Rafa was a dream, not only for me, but also for
my family,” he added. “He’s a legend. He’s a legend for our sport, for
all of sports.”
“Maybe his last
French Open, and I think we need to try to
enjoy him as much as we can,” Cachín concluded.
The Argentine will be in the main draw of the French Open
and will debut in the first round against the 14th seed Tommy Paul. This will
be Cachín's third time in the tournament, having reached the second round in
2022 and 2023.