Rafael Nadal may be gaining momentum at this year’s US Open but he admits his tennis is far from the best he can produce.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion eased his way into the fourth round on Saturday with a 6-0, 6-1, 7-5, win over France’s Richard Gasquet. A player who he has now beaten a staggering 18 times on the Tour without suffering any losses against him. The victory was by far the most one-sided for Nadal at Flushing Meadows this year, who won 14 out of the first 15 games played in the match.
“My best match in the tournament. It’s easy to say that because the other day was tough,” Nadal said afterwards.
“An Important improvement but I need to keep going. It’s a good victory for me. Straight sets for the first time. The third set was a challenge. He (Gasquet) increased the level.’
Heading into this year’s New York major Nadal had only played one match in 50 days. That was at the Western and Southern Open where he lost to Borna Coric who went on to win the title. An abdominal injury that forced him to pull out of his Wimbledon semi-final match had sidelined the Spaniard.
It is not the first time the 35-year-old has suffered an injury setback leading up to a Grand Slam tournament. Back in January he was on the comeback from a long-term foot condition. He suffers from Mueller-Weiss Syndrome which is a rare degenerative condition that affects bones in the feet and causes chronic pain. Nevertheless, he still managed to prevail in the Australian Open final where he bounced back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev.
However, this time round an honest Nadal admits that his form during the first week of the US Open has not been as good as it was in Melbourne. In his first two matches, he dropped sets against Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini.
“I think I played better in Australia than here going into the second week,” he admits.
“Here (at the US Open) I played a little bit worse than in Australia, without a doubt. But the story of the year and the results on the slams have been incredible, so that helps.’
“I don’t know the balance, what’s better or worse. But all these victories help me to be a little bit more confident.”
The next test for Nadal comes in the shape of a fourth round clash with Frances Tiafoe. The American 22nd seed knocked out Diego Schwartzman 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4, and is yet to lose a set in the tournament. Tiafoe is bidding to reach the quarter-final of his home Grand Slam for the first time.
Nadal leads Tiafoe 2-0 in their head-to-head but it has been three years since they last clashed. Describing the upcoming showdown as a ‘very important test,’ the former world No.1 admits he has a tough task ahead of him.
“I think he’s playing great. He improved. He’s more solid than before. He has more matches and years on the tour. He has the experience,” Nadal commented on the world No.26.
“He’s a player who plays with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. He’s very quick. He can play extremely aggressive. I mean, he’s a player that I am not going to win against if I am not playing well. So I need to play well. I hope to make that happen.”
