Nadal, ready to play “at the highest level” against Shapovalov

After showing against Adrian Mannarino that he can make the most of his physical and mental conditions to win matches, Rafa Nadal faces Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday (not before 4:00, Eurosport). for a place in what would be his seventh semifinal at the Australian Open. The moment of truth arrives for the Spaniard, who is in a position he did not even dream of not long ago, when trying to find solutions to cope with his chronic right foot injury. Five months after playing his last match, he arrived in Melbourne and won the ATP 250 title in the capital of Victoria. And in the first Grand Slam of the season he is in the quarterfinals with very good feelings.

Opposite, again a southpaw, like Mannarino, but much more dynamic and electric in hitting than the Frenchman. Nadal dominates 3-1 head-to-head, with a single loss at the Canadian Masters 1,000 in 2017, although it was on a hard court and outdoors, in conditions similar to those they will have in their fifth matchup, although that time the game was played at night and this time it will take place during the day and with a lot of heat (over 34 degrees), which favors the manacorí.

“He is one of the players with the most potential on tour. When I played against him, after the match I said he would be a potential multiple Grand Slam winner. And I still think that if he is able to keep improving, he will be. He has a lot in his game, and his results speak for themselves. When he is playing well, it is very difficult to stop him. But I’m in the quarterfinals, what can I expect? I will need to play at the highest level”, said Rafa, who on Monday fine-tuned his powerful drive with a two-on-one against Carlos Moyá and Marc López, his coaches.

respect and patience

Shapovalov, however, greatly respects the Spaniard and knows that he cannot be as impulsive against him as when he faces rivals of the same court., puncher, aggressive and fast, very anarchic, unlike Nadal, who is order par excellence. “It will be a long battle. Obviously he makes you play a lot. His defense is very good. He is very good at what he does. So I will have to try to play my tennis, play patiently, fight for every point and pick my places to play.” To be aggressive”, explains Denis, 14th in the world at 22 years old and reigning ATP Cup champion with Canada, who beat Spain in the final a few days ago.