“Opportunity to play one of the GOAT’s” Rinky Hijikata ruminates over immense mental pressure before playing Rafael Nadal

“Opportunity to play one of the GOAT’s” Rinky Hijikata ruminates over immense mental pressure before playing Rafael Nadal

Rinky Hijikata and Rafael Nadal

Australian player, Rinky Hijikata will be playing the match of his life when he faces World No.3 Rafael Nadal in the first round of the US Open Championship. Hijikata is currently ranked 198 in the ATP rankings. This month he suffered a big defeat from Daniil Medvedev at the Los Cabos Open. Since then he is trying to get back to his game but the pressure will definitely surround him when he plays 22-time grand slam champion, Nadal, at the prestigious Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Rafael Nadal is pulling himself together after being out with a severe abdominal injury. The Spaniard will be looking to win a record 23rd major this year to further extend his lead over Novak Djokovic. Rinky Hijikata is 21 years of age. Recently, he opened up about how he is coping with the immense pressure ahead of his first-round match.

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It’s obviously quite an exciting draw: Rinky Hijikata on his US Open fixtures

Rinky Hijikata
Rinky Hijikata

On his difficult road at the US Open, Hijikata said, “It’s obviously quite an exciting draw, it’s not often you get the opportunity to play against one of the greatest players in the world, someone of this calibre. So I’m looking forward to the challenge. I see this as something positive. I like to find myself in difficult matches and situations like this.”

He further commented on his performance against Medvedev, “I think this match was quite special because it was the first time I had the opportunity to play against a player of this caliber and in such an atmosphere. I had a lot of fun playing. Obviously, I would have liked the result to be a little different. But these are the matches that we dream of playing. I hope my experience there will serve me here against Rafa and that I can calm my nerves a little faster to fight my way through the game.”

Hijikata will certainly be on his guard during his match against the Rafael Nadal who is in excellent form and is showing no signs of stopping this season.

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