“To beat Nadal you have play perfect for 3-4 hours straight,” Taro Daniels opens up about his encounter with Rafael Nadal
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Beating World No.2 Rafael Nadal is not an easy task. The Spaniard is one of the most complete players of modern-era and has displayed his fitness and quality in matches after matches throughout his career. Even when the odds were stacked against him, Nadal has found a way to make a comeback.
One of those who had their victory taken away from their jaws against Nadal is Taro Daniels. The 27-year old Japanese faced off against him at the 2017 US Open.
Taro Daniels spoke about this encounter in an interview, and shed some light on Nadal’s incredible ability to pounce on his opponent despite being on the backfoot. In that 2017 encounter with Nadal, Daniels started off strong, winning the first set 6-4. He seemed to be on the roll, but then Nadal fought back harder and won the match by winning the next three sets. Daniels said about that match, “I hit so many winners that night it was a strange feeling for me. I never swung so freely in a match before. I also felt that in order to beat Rafa, you have to play perfect for 3-4 hours straight.”
I know I did something special for my career: Taro Daniels on beating Novak Djokovic
While Daniels might have bowed down to one of the world’s best, he did manage to scalp another. Daniels defeated Novak Djokovic when the two men met at the India Wells Masters 2018. This win by Daniels was made even more sweeter by the fact that this was the final of the competition. The Japanese won the match 7-6, 4-6, 6-1. Speaking about this victory, Daniels said, “It was a great moment where I know I did something special for my career.” He then goes on to say, “I remember being happy but also, I knew that he was not nearly at his best. I was able to take advantage of that.”
Daniels also spoke about how these two men play their game in a very unique way. “They (Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal) have a special quality to their ball. They also have a presence that not many other players have,” Daniels added.
“I really enjoyed feeling the speed and the quality of their ball. Especially Djokovic’s backhand down the line really stretches like crazy,” he concluded.
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