Australian Open: Rafael Nadal - "Have to find a way to control the pain"
Rafael Nadal was delighted with the strong performance in his third round duel with Karen Khachanov. The fact that the Spaniard is capable of such performances again surprises him, as he explained. Especially since the foot injury is still the big unknown for the sixth in the world rankings.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jan 22, 2022, 01:37 pm
The first big test at the Australian Open was an opportunity for Rafael Nadal to impressively prove that the Spaniard can already play at his excellent level again in Melbourne. Against the bronze medalist at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Karen Khachanov from Russia, the Mallorcan did not show any weakness apart from a short period of weakness in the third set - and bought his ticket for the round of 16 in four sets.
Immediately after his success, it was clear to the Spaniard: "I've played my best game since I've been back. That's something very positive and special for me," said Nadal in the post-match press conference. "A month and a half ago I couldn't train on the court for more than half an hour. Today I'm playing a Grand Slam tournament and I'm enjoying that experience."
Nadal very happy with his match
The sticking point in the match with Khachanov was the transition from the lost third to the fourth set. "I said to myself, if I lose the set, I'll try to play aggressively at the beginning of the fourth set. That worked," emphasized the tournament's number six. "I had a sensational fourth set. I was able to make decisions quickly and analyze what was happening. The quality of the shots, the position on the court and the movements were at a very high level."
In the round of 16, the 20-time Grand Slam winner is now up against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who was only able to secure his fourth-round ticket at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Saturday with a four-set win over Aslan Karatsev. A player who was able to impress Nadal in particular with his smooth success over Hubert Hurkacz: "Mannarino plays very well. I think the match against Hurkacz was very surprising. He was unpredictable. Beating a player like Hubert with this result is because that you did things very well."
Big doubts about Nadal
Overall, after his success over the Russian, the Spaniard was able to win all of the first six matches after his return to the ATP tour. A return that was under no good star for a long time, as the 35-year-old emphasized: "Everyone around me had great doubts as to whether I would play the tournament or not. Not just the Australian Open, but also the return to the tour because of the constant discomfort with my foot."
Complaints that Nadal is still struggling with today - and that will accompany the world number six for the rest of his career: "Even today there are still doubts. As I said the other day, it is an injury that we cannot heal, so we have to find a way to control the pain to be able to play. That's the goal."
laver arena