The Spaniard was satisfied after the victory against Mannarino. He also talked about his physical condition, his status as favorites at the moment or his next rival, Denis Shapovalov.
Rafael Nadal continues to meet the objectives. The Spaniard has once again achieved a victory and on the fast track, this time against Mannarino. Nadal explained that his physique has responded and that the first set has been half a battle within the match to end up winning. He also talked about Zverev and Shapovalov and it is that the Canadian eliminated one of the favorites, but for Rafa it has not been such a surprise. Finally, a few days ago, he commented that he was not a favorite, and he did not want to get wet about whether his version has changed after the last four victories that have brought him closer to the title.
The importance of the tie break
“I played a couple of them (laughs). But, yes, it has been crazy, opportunities for both and, yes, luck to win it in the end. That has been half the victory, without a doubt“.
The duel against Mannarino
“It is not usual, because there are not many. It’s a little different than playing against a right-hander, but that’s about it. You have to get used to those games and adapt the game, be prepared to do it well. The way of approaching the game is always a little different, but in the end, what you think about is playing in the best possible way” he explained about playing against a southpaw.
“He andI was playing at a very high level. yesThe ball was super difficult to control, it came to me very fast, the serve was difficult to read and it was very difficult to subtract. Then I started to do it further down the court against his second serve, and I took advantage of that a bit. A player who wins against Karatsev and Hurkacz is doing a lot of things right. I entered the court knowing that it was going to be a difficult game and against a player who has the ability to make you feel uncomfortable on the court, due to his style of play.or” he added.
Zverev’s defeat
“Not that much. He was a bit of a favourite, probably due to his ranking, but not a clear favourite.. Everyone knows how good Shapovalov is when he’s playing well. I didn’t expect a three-set loss, but it happened. I don’t know if Sascha played well or not, but even considering that Sascha wasn’t fantastic, winning in three sets against him is great. So I don’t see it as a surprise“.
“In quarters all the parties are difficult. I have just played two very good games and it will be a challenge, especially after today’s game“.
Favorite?
“A priori, before starting the tournament I said that I was not a candidate, I had to be realistic knowing where I came from and the circumstances. And I added that in sports things change very quickly. What happens today or what seems, in a few days it may seem something else. It can really be something else and what I have to do is be prepared in case the opportunity for it to be something else happens.“.
“It’s been ten days or so since we spoke and I’m in a better position than I was that day before the tournament, without a doubt. That said, I’m not very much into talking about whether or not I consider myself a candidate. Here the game rules, he is the one who will dictate, and the physicist. The only thing I trust is being able to be ready to compete and from there, we’ll see“.
