PARIS — On his favorite tennis court, Rafael Nadal was struggling on Friday. He looked hesitant and edgy, as if he might not be able to finish what he started.
But this had nothing to do with winning or losing his French Open semifinal against Juan Martín del Potro, whom Nadal had just manhandled, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, to earn a spot in the final against Dominic Thiem.
This was about Nadal, the pride of Spain, trying to do his postmatch interview in French.
He stopped short for a long moment, searching for his words, but then nodded his head with renewed determination and reeled off the rest of the response.