Nadal: “The game had to be saved as it was”

Rafa Nadal is already in the second round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, the Godó of a lifetime, after an atypical debut against Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, a 111 in the world who demanded a lot from him. The Balearic recognized at the end of the clash that he did not have his best afternoon and that instead Ivashka was at a very high level: “After losing in Monte Carlo the next game is always difficult. And that's how it has been. I have met a player who was shooting, who has played at a very good level. It has been gathered that he has done well and I have started hesitantly giving him the initiative. I was too much in his hands in the first set “, commented. The important thing, however, was to win and that was achieved by Nadal: “It was difficult, but the important thing today was to save this game as it was. This objective has been achieved. I have gone from less to more.”

Besides being self-critical of his level, Nadal did not spare his rival praise: “That Ivashka is out of the top hundred is circumstantial. He has not played at the level of his ranking, but higher.“, he assured. And he acknowledged that he had doubts during the first manga: “When you lose the first set and don't play well, you worry, I'm human. But at the same time I focus on changing the dynamics of the match.. I expected a reaction from me, playing more aggressive and that's what I did. I improved, it was not perfect, but I changed the dynamics of the game, “he said.

And it is that Nadal, who knew that he would have to suffer against Ivashka, each game is taken “as one more step, an opportunity” to regain “its best level”. He said that games like the one he faced Ivashka “bring” him closer to that level: “You never know what will happen, you can play tomorrow and things change quickly. A game like this helps to regain the competitive level”, He said.

As is customary in these times marked by the coronavirus, the Manacoran was asked if he missed seeing the full court. “The energy of the public, when you have been touring the world successfully for so many years, is an important incentive. For young people it is newer and they experience it in a different way. It is vital that people get back on track. From the zero of Monte Carlo to the few from here it is an important change at the energy level, “he replied.