In his 22nd Masters main draw, Joao Sousa has finally reached the quarterfinal stage for the first time in his career by defeating Jack Sock 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-2, at the Madrid Masters.
The quarterfinal milestone is long overdue for the Portuguese player, who will now rise inside the top-30 for the first time in his career. Shortly after his win over Sock in Madrid, the 27-year-old spoke with ubitennis.net about his triumph.
“It feels very good. I think I played a great match today against a great player,” the delighted Sousa said.
“It is the first time that I have reached the quarterfinals at a Masters 1000 tournament, so I’m really happy with the level that I have been playing this week.”
The win comes at a much needed time for the talented Sousa, who can speak six different languages. Since reaching the third round of the Australian Open (where he lost in four sets to Andy Murray), Sousa’s results of the tour was not a true reflection of his potential. Since Melbourne, he has only won two matches on the ATP Tour prior to Madrid.
“I’ve been playing well, but the results have not been coming,” the 27-year-old told ubitennis.
“I have been working good and I think i’ve been working well outside of the court (on his game).”
Sousa currently has two ATP titles to his name after winning the 2013 Kuala Lumpur Open and the 2015 Valencia Open. He has achieved a series of firsts for his country, including becoming the first Portuguese player to play exclusively on the ATP Tour for a single season and the first to be seeded at a Grand Slam event (US Open 2014).
Sousa’s run in Madrid this week has given his mentality a much needed boost. The Madrid Open could finally get his roller coaster season back on course.
“I’m feeling confident and playing good,” he said with happiness.
“I’m looking forward to the next round. I think that now is time to rest and enjoy this victory.”
Next up for Sousa is a meeting with home favorite Rafael Nadal. The prospect of playing Nadal on his home turf might be daunting for some, however, the playing style of the ‘King of clay’ is one that Sousa is very familiar with. The two have spent time together training in Majorca.
“Tomorrow will be another day against a great player like Rafa. Obviously I am going to give everything on the court to win that match.”
Once the Madrid Open has ended, the 27-year-old isn’t expecting a barrage of outstanding results on the tour. Instead, Sousa is going to take things as they come and live in the moment.
“I think it’s important to think that every week is a different story. This week I have been trying to enjoy my tennis with these victories and this is the important thing now.” He said about his future plans.
Statistically the numbers don’t look encouraging for Sousa, who has a win-loss record against top-10 players of 1-21 (David Ferrer was his only win). Then again, the talented right-hander will be no pushover in Friday’s clash.
