“I am healthy enough to continue and fight for what I want,” Rafael Nadal issues stern warning bells after reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2022
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal reached his 8th Wimbledon quarterfinal by beating Botic van de Zandschulp in the Round of 16 in straight sets 6-4,6-2,7-6(6) and kept his quest to complete the calendar slam alive. Nadal has won the first two majors of the year- the Australian Open and the French Open for the first time in his career and is in the position to gun for a calendar slam.
Nadal wasn’t even sure of making a trip to Wimbledon this year due to his foot issues at the French Open but the treatment on his foot was successful. But Nadal played on grass for the first time in 3 years and looked very rusty at the start. As things moved ahead, the level in Rafa’s game increased.
In the press conference, Nadal said that he was tired of talking about his body, and with respect to his rivals, he doesn’t want to speak about it. All he said was that at the moment, he feels healthy and is ready to fight for what he wants.
“I’m tired of talking about my body, tired of myself and all the problems I have. I prefer not to talk about it. I’m in the middle of a tournament and I have to continue. All respect for my rivals,” Nadal said. “I am trying to give my best every day. At the moment, I am healthy enough to continue and fight for what I want.”
‘I am happy to return to the quarterfinals after three years without playing here’: Rafael Nadal
He said that he has made a lot of efforts to play at Wimbledon given all the physical problems he has faced in the last 2 months and because of all this, being in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon means a lot to him.
“I made a great effort to be here. It takes a lot of physical and mental effort to play this tournament after how things have been in the last couple of months. I hadn’t played for three years and I wanted to come back here. That’s why it means so much to me to be in the quarterfinals. It’s not easy to make the transition, especially after not playing here in a while. Now is the time to take steps forward if I want to continue having opportunities,” he said.
Nadal said that a couple of days ago against Lorenzo Sonego, he played at a very high level after a long time, and even against Botic, he played positive tennis. This gives him a lot of confidence to further improve his result and move forward in the second week.
“Two days ago I played at a high level for the first time. Today, for much of the match, I was at a positive level. I’m happy for that. It gives me the opportunity to have one more day tomorrow to train and improve things to move forward,” Nadal added. “The improvement during the tournament is there. I am happy to return to the quarterfinals after three years without playing here. It’s a positive result for me.”
Also Read: Wimbledon 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner Live Stream, Match Timings, Prediction, and Preview
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Lakshya Chopra
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