Rafael Nadal - ‘This Sport Is About Winning’ - UBITENNIS

Rafael Nadal – ‘This Sport Is About Winning’

By Adam Addicott
3 Min Read
Rafael Nadal (zimbio.com)

When Rafael Nadal plays in his seventh US Open quarter-final, he will be engaged in a battle of the generations.

The Spaniard faces the last teenager standing in the draw, Andrey Rublev. A 19-year-old former French Open junior champion who recently scored his first top 10 win against Grigor Dimitrov in New York. He is 12 years older than the Next Generation star and has won 72 more titles on the ATP tour than him (73-1).

It is expected that the ten-time grand slam champion will move past Rublev, but he is not taking the situation for granted. The Russian, who only ever won two grand slam matches prior to the tournament, has defied that odds to reach the quarter-finals. Becoming the youngest player to do so since Andy Roddick in 2001.

“He’s young, but at the same time, he’s in quarterfinals. He has a chance to be in the semifinals for the first time of his career, and I have been there a couple of times.” Said Nadal.

Rublev will enter the match with nothing to lose. He has already exceeded expectations and is set to break the world’s top 40 for the first time in his career. On the other hand, Nadal had a somewhat contrasting viewpoint. Arguing that it isn’t the taking part that counts, it is winning which is more important.

“I tell you one thing,this sport is about victory.” He stated in his press conference. “This is not about defeats. At the end of your career, nobody remembers your defeats, your losses. People remember the victories.”
“For everybody it is everything to win. And that’s it.”

Despite never playing each other on the tour, Nadal knows how much of a talent the youngster is. Growing up Rublev admired the Spaniard and previously trained at the academy of the world No.1 in Mallorca.

“He was my idol. I was buying the same clothes as him, all the new collections. I was trying to copy (him).” Rublev said about Nadal following his third round match.

Facing a player who idolises him is something that doesn’t phrase Nadal. The top seed expects a tough meeting with the 19-year-old, but his eyes are fixated on the top prize. A 16th grand slam title.

“I am in quarter-finals against a tough opponent now. I need to be ready to keep fighting and play better than today, and that’s my goal and I am going to try to have the best practice possible tomorrow and try to be ready for it.”

The quarter-final clash between the two will take place on Wednesday.

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