Rafael Nadal is continuing to play down talk that he is the man to beat at Roland Garros ahead of his semi-final showdown with Roger Federer on Thursday.
Nadal, who is gunning for a record 12th French Open title this year, breezed through his quarter-final match. Facing Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the second seed powered his way to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, victory. Capitalising on some weary play from his opponent, who was suffering from the effects on playing back-to-back five-set matches earlier in the tournament. During the match Nadal won 76% of his first service points and converted seven out of 11 break point opportunities.
“Every opponent is a challenge. And then I just try to do my personal work the right way to be ready for the next one.” A reflective Nadal said afterwards during his press conference.
“Today has been a positive victory against Kei. Of course, probably he was a little bit more tired than usual. No doubt about it.”
“I have been improving during the whole clay court season. Every tournament will be more. And now is the moment to play at the highest level, and we hope to be able to make that happen.”
The road into this year’s clay-court major has been far from plain-sailing for Nadal. During the American Masters swing in March, he was hindered by a knee problem. Then in a rare occurrence, he failed to win a title at three consecutive tournaments on the clay. An usual situation for the Spaniard. Nevertheless, it was at the Foro Italico where he turned his fortunes around after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.
One player Nadal is yet to face on the clay in 2019 is his upcoming opponent Federer. The Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion defeated Stan Wawrinka in his quarter-final match. Continuing a dream run for Federer, who last played in Paris back in 2015.
“There is no two matches the same. All the matches are different, because we always try things.” Nadal said of playing Federer.
“I really expect that he is going to play aggressive, change rhythm, go to the net. That’s my feeling, that he gonna try to play that way, because he’s playing well and he has the tennis to make that happen.”
The Nadal-Federer rivalry is one of the most famous in the Open Era. They have played each other 48 times on the tour with the Spaniard winning 23 of those. Their matches include nine grand slam finals and 12 Masters 1000 finals. At the French Open specifically, Nadal has defeated Federer in all five of their previous meetings.
“I have to be solid. I have to hit the ball enough strong to don’t allow him to do the things from good positions. I need to let him play from difficult positions, so from there he gonna have less chances to go to the net or to play his aggressive game.” Nadal explained.
“So at the end of the day is play well. If I am able to play good tennis and play well with my forehand and backhand, I hope to put him in trouble. If not, I will be in trouble.”
Five years younger than Federer, Nadal certainly has some year’s left in him on the tour. Even though he has been troubled by injury issues in recent months. Towards the end of 2018 he has troubled by both knee and abdominal issues. Then, during the off-season, which he started early due to injury, he underwent a minor operation on his ankle.
Despite those misfortunes, the 32-year-old has no intention of looking into retirement at present. For him, the passion is still burning brightly.
“What keeps the flame alive is this desire, the desire to play, to be supportive, to play on the main stages where I’ve been playing tennis for all these years. Understanding that this won’t last forever.” He said.
“I want to give myself the maximum chances with my body, with my mind, because the mind always follows the body and the physical shape.’
“As long as I’ll be happy doing what I’m doing, as long as I’ll wake up with the desire to do as everyday what I’m doing, I will continue to be here (playing tennis).”
Nadal hasn’t lost to Federer on the clay since the 2009 Madrid Open.
