A euphoric Rafa Nadal could not show his satisfaction after the victory against Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Some sensations that Nadal himself expressed in the interview at the foot of the court that Jim Courier did to him as soon as the match was over.
Incredible comeback: “I don’t know how I came back. I’m devastated. It’s very hot. I was a bit lucky at the start of the fifth set. I played a good start against a tennis player like Denis, who is very talented and who played very well. I’m sorry about that blow that went off in the third set. It made it very difficult for me”.
Stomach problems: “I had stomach problems, I went to the locker room to have my blood pressure taken to see how I was doing. I’ve also been very lucky with the serve in the fifth set. It’s important to have three days off until Friday. I’m 21 years old. The conditions here are tough, especially in the final stretch of the tournament. I’m very happy to have been able to reach the semi-finals and to be able to play them here at the Rod Laver Arena. Thank you very much to the public for your support”.
Return to tennis after complicated months: “I think we can make history with these things. Two months ago I didn’t know if I could be here and if I could play tennis again and it’s a gift of life to be here”
Later Nadal went through the microphones of the program The Cube by Eurosport
Problems in the match: “I tried to survive. I had stomach problems, I tried to survive and hope for a miracle. It was a very exciting and very tough match. I had my chances at the beginning of the third set but then I started to feel tired and sick to my stomach. . He is younger and took advantage of it. Mentally I have stayed in the game.”
The service key: “Without a doubt, the serve has helped me to win the match. I couldn’t take the exchanges on the other side of the court. In the third set I had problems on the return because he started to serve a little better and finally I managed to make my serve good in key moments”
Recovery for semifinals: “I don’t know if I will be recovered for the semifinals, I have days. I am very happy with where I am, I think that in these couple of days I will be able to recover well too. I am playing well. It is possible that tomorrow I will rest and on Thursday I will train. A few months ago I knew if I could play again and now look. What I’ve experienced here in the last three weeks is very positive”.
At a press conference, Nadal also wanted to comment on Shapovalov’s protests during the match:
Shapovalov: “I think he is a good boy, with a lot of talent and the other day I said that he has the potential to win several Grand Slams. In no case am I going to get into controversy with him, but I think he is wrong. He is young and, without a doubt, when we are young we all make mistakes and also sometimes when games are finished like that you have strange feelings. You feel frustrated at some point, but I think that when the hours go by you will realize that you made a mistake”.
Rules: “The reality is that here the rules on the court are the same for everyone. There is a supervisor, a chair umpire who applies the rules and there is no more. The rules in tennis have been evolving in recent years. The chair umpires have less margin to be able to influence one thing or another, they can’t be wrong with the balls because they don’t sing them, the machines do. There is a timer and we have a limited time when we go to the bathroom, because we have X minutes to do so. they sing. I was there changing everything, which is hard in the end, because it was wet and they sing to you 3, 2, 1, they sing it to me, I suppose that just as he must love it. I repeat that I think he is making a mistake I also think that there is no need to give it more importance. I don’t have it either, I don’t have an account”.
Problems in the match: “I had a full-fledged heat stroke. My stomach closed, I felt a bit dizzy, really, and I didn’t have good bodily sensations at the level of breathing and these things. With which, beyond the initial plan It went well, what I was doing was playing the first two sets, I think, very well, at a high level. I was doing it, I think, better than him tennis-wise.”
Survival: “In the end I survived. I served well and finished the way I had to finish, making a little effort for the rest, saving money and with intelligence. Also with a bit of risk because the serve had to work. It was an exercise in survival, in resistance both mentally and physically, and I was able to pull through a game that seemed practically impossible to win”.
Check: “I was a little worried because I felt bad and when the fourth set ended, the doctor came and I went to have my blood pressure, vital signs, blood pressure taken. Everything was more or less fine, with which I was calmer in that sense at least and I was able to go out and compete”.
Play by day: “I am going to play the semifinal during the day, it is not what I prefer or not. There is a predetermined schedule and I think that those of us who play today, as we have two days, are going to play during the day, something that somehow seems logical to me. I always try that what they put on me is what I prefer, more than I prefer one thing or another. The schedule is made by the tournament and from there, I always try throughout my career to be happy with it, because it is something that cannot even be controlled nor change. Obviously, for my style of play and how I train, I have always had good feelings during the day, because the ball runs a little more. In fact, this time I was playing very well during the day, although I was also good at night against Khachanov. I think my serve hurts a little more during the day than at night, but the conditions were brutal and my opponents have been playing all the time while I have been on hiatus for many months. So all these extreme conditions I think are more complicated for me in e this moment. Games like this little by little help me to get in shape to be able to face them with more confidence”.