Rafa Nadal showed his opinion about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “In the century we are in, it seems incredible to me that there are wars” and he wanted it to end “as soon as possible” and with “the least affected and the least possible losses.” In addition, the Spaniard explained the difficulties he experienced during his match against Tommy Paul in the Acapulco quarterfinals. Nadal suffered again from the humidity and this complicated the match, but he ended up sealing the ticket to the semifinals to face Daniil Medvedev.
Rafa Nadal attended the media after sealing the ticket to his fifth semifinals at the Mexican Open in Acapulco , after beating Tommy Paul (6-0 and 7-6). The Spaniard was very satisfied with the level offered in the first set and explained where the problem was in the second set, which lasted until the tiebreak and reached an hour and a half of play.
“The first set was one of the best I’ve played in a long time. It has been fantastic in every way. There is no such thing as perfection, but given what I can do, I’ve come close. I have done everything right. I played very fluid, I did bingo in all the ideas that occurred to me, “explained Nadal about the donut that he endorsed Paul, the second he gets this week in Acapulco.
However, the second set was complicated and he needed to play the tiebreak after several service losses to both sides of the net. “Sometimes when you play a set like this, it is logical that the start of the next one can be complicated. My services with options eluded me. He was not able to consolidate them, ”explained the Balearic.
The main difficulty of the Spanish was in the strong humidity. «I had very wet pants, and until I realized it I have not played without balls in my pants. Until that moment I have wet the ball too much. And it was much heavier than in the first set, my ball wasn’t as lively, it didn’t hurt it and I lost position, I went backwards. And I didn’t bring spare shoes, a mistake. I have suffered, I was on a skating rink, “valued the Spanish.
“It is a challenge to play against the number one”
Nadal was questioned about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the Balearic did not hesitate to give his opinion. “I can give my opinion as a citizen, not as a tennis player. I don’t want to talk about culprits, what the problem is or not, but whatever it is at this point and in the century we are in, it seems incredible to me that there are wars. It escapes my head in every way. I can’t understand it, I hope it ends as soon as possible. Let there be the least affected possible, the least possible losses, let it be over now. This is devastating, incomprehensible news,” he said.
In the semifinals, Nadal will meet Daniil Medvedev again, after the final of the Australian Open. The Russian, in addition, is from this Thursday the virtual number one of the ATP, after the defeat of Djokovic. «We are in a completely different tournament, with different conditions, the rival is highly demanding, very difficult, number one in the world. We already saw how hard it is to beat him in Australia. He is playing very well, I am aware that I need to be at my 100% to have any chance. I’m looking forward to playing the match,” Nadal said.
“Being in the semis with little time after Australia, considering how I finished, it’s good news to have won three games here. And now comes a very demanding game. I hope to be ready. I want to play it. Let’s see what happens, “said the Spaniard, without losing sight of his next duel against the new ATP number one .
Nadal had to work for two hours against Tommy Paul to seal the ticket to the Acapulco semifinal, a wear that he does not think will affect him. «My options do not go up or down because of what happened today. I don’t think I’ve worn myself out physically to not perform tomorrow. And tennis to see what happens. It is a difficult game but very nice to play. Against number one it is a challenge », concluded the Spaniard.
