Marcos Giron reveals he thought Rafael Nadal was “full of it” but that changed the moment he met the Spaniard in person for the first time.
Throughout his career, the Spanish tennis icon was regarded as one of the fiercest competitors on the court but also enjoyed an outstanding reputation in the locker room.
Off the court, the record 14-time French Open champion was usually described as someone who was very humble and kind to everyone, from fellow players to ball kids, personnel, etc.
Giron, who is 31 years old, had a hard time believing Nadal was genuinely so humble and kind.
But after crossing paths with the 38-year-old, he realized that everything that was said about him was true.
Giron: Nadal is just a genuine, nice dude
Appearing on ESPN’s Russo & Rizzo, the American was asked if he was a fan of the former 20-time Grand Slam winner.
“Hard not to be a fan of Federer, Del Potro, Novak. Rafa, I feel like, I wasn’t a fan until I played him when I really got to appreciate him – he’s a helluva player,” he responded.
“Yeah, yeah, I kind of thought he was always full of it, like, ‘Oh no, I respect every guy’ but he is like that, he’s just a genuine, nice dude.
“But he’s a killer on court. He’s a good dude, and I respect the hell out of him, and all of them.”
“At first I thought he was FULL OF IT” – @Marcos_Giron93 on Rafael Nadal 😂😂😂😂@ColinRusso7 @MikeRizzo22 @DelrayBeachOpen pic.twitter.com/lV9QObAcUY
— ESPN WEST PALM (106.3 FM) (@ESPNWestPalm) February 11, 2025
Meanwhile, Giron played once against Nadal and suffered a loss as the Spaniard won their 2022 Australian Open first-round meeting with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 scoreline.
Marcos Giron and Rafael Nadal© Australian Open/YouTube
After that match, the former world No. 1 went on to win his second Australian Open title and the first one since 2009.
Shortly after winning the Australian Open and French Open in 2022, the Spaniard started to deal with constant injury setbacks, which ultimately led to his retirement last year.
Tennis World USA