MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA), 19 Ene. (STATS Perform/dpa/EP) –
The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal was hopeful that he could continue to improve his game as he progressed in the Australian Open, the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season, especially because in the third round he will already have “a great challenge” like the Russian Karen Kachanov.
“As I said before the tournament started, things are not going to be perfect, but with each day that I spend on the court, the chances of playing better are greater. I think I am doing things well, there are things that I can improve and I have to improve,” said Nadal after beating German Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.
The Spaniard celebrated that his victory allows him “to return to training tomorrow and be ready for another match”. “After two games it’s time to take a step forward. It’s not going to be impossible, I’m going to try,” he stressed.
“I’m excited about this and the fact that I’m going to be playing in a third round once again here after all the things I’m going through,” added the 20-time Grand Slam winner.
In this sense, he was clear in saying that he does not feel “a lot of pressure” about whether he will win any more “big” ones. “I don’t feel it, the pressure is just to stay healthy and enjoy the fact that I’m competing again, and then give my best like I have throughout my professional career,” he remarked.
In addition, Nadal does not want to look beyond his next match, which will be against a dangerous rival like the Russian Karen Kachanov. “I think playing against Khachanov now is going to be a big challenge,” he admitted, not thinking about a hypothetical quarter-final against German Alexander Zverev. “I’m in the third round and I need to win very difficult matches to get there. It’s not on my mind now, I have enough work already,” he remarked.