“It’s Rafa and you never know what is going to happen,” Diego Schwartzman on his upcoming clash against Rafael Nadal at French Open 2021
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Rafael Nadal, Diego Schwartzman
Diego Schwartzman stormed into the quarterfinals of the French Open 2021 after he defeated the German, Jan Lennard Struff in straight sets. The ninth seed has been in dominant form in Paris, and is yet to drop a set so far. Next up for Schwartzman is a clash against the 13 time champion in Paris, Rafael Nadal.
The duo faced off in the semifinals of French Open last year, where Nadal won in straight sets. Diego Schwartzman stated that it was important for him to stop thinking that he will be facing Rafael Nadal, and wait for his opportunities.
“I think at the beginning of every match against Rafa, you have to walk on the court thinking [about] winning the match, to have opportunities, to get opportunities,” Schwartzman said. “[It is important to] think about something else and not think about Rafa [being] on the other side of the net,” he added.
“If you think about the four, five hours you are going to play, if you think about everything about Rafa in Roland Garros he’s very difficult to play. You have to go on court, think about the tactics, think about how to play your best game,” he added.
Playing against Rafael Nadal helps to know your true level: Diego Schwartzman
Diego Schwartzman stressed on the importance of starting well against a player like Rafael Nadal. He accepted that it is going to be a tough task, and that he was up against the best in the business.
“I think it’s very important not just for me, just also for Rafa when the opponent starts with good tennis, the match is going to [go] a different way,” Schwartzman said. “It’s always tough. But at the end it’s Rafa and you never know what is going to happen, and everyone knows that it’s going to be very difficult,” he added.
“Playing against Rafa in these kinds of tournaments, it’s always a good time to know how good are you playing. It’s always a good challenge,” Schwartzman said. “I know we played two times here [and they] were good matches, and now let’s see what happens. I have to enjoy today, a day [off] tomorrow, and let’s see what happen on Wednesday,” the ninth seed continued.
Diego Schwartzman earned the biggest victory of his career at Italian Open 2020, when he defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals. However, the Spaniard leads the head to head record by a score line of 10-1.
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Nirmit Mehta
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