Rafa Nadal addressed the media after his victory over Sebastian Korda to advance to the third round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000. The Spaniard reacted in time and staged a new comeback in his career, turning around a 2-5 deficit in the last set to end up taking the ticket to the next round. “My uncle, my family, never allowed me to throw a game,” explained the Spaniard. He also assured that he has to play better to continue with his goals in the Californian tournament.
Rafa Nadal had a tough opponent on his debut at the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells: Sebastian Korda, one of the young talents on the circuit, 21 years old, and ranked 38th in the ATP. After the initial nerves of the American, -he conceded a 3-0 start after many errors-, the son of Petr Korda got into the match based on sticks and came to enjoy 2-5 in the third set. But Nadal reacted by recovering the two breaks in the two serving times that his rival had to try to complete the machado of winning a player with 21 Grand Slams in his showcases.
“I think he probably got a little more nervous. He made a few more mistakes. I played a little better at least. At 5-2 I began to play a little more crosswise with my forehand and with a little more calm,” Nadal explained at the subsequent press conference. The Spaniard also alluded to the mistakes Korda made and how “very lucky” he was. In addition, the man from Manacor pointed out the importance of the education he has received since childhood to never give up and try to fight until the last point, as he did in his first match in Indian Wells against Korda.
“The reason why I have been fighting my entire tennis career or have the right self-control, the right attitude or the right fighting spirit is simple: because I grew up with this kind of upbringing. My uncle, my family, I was never allowed to break a racket, I was never allowed to swear or throw or give up a match,” he said. «The most important thing was education and the fact of growing up with the values, with the correct values. So I had to do it that way. If not, I wouldn’t play tennis. If I go out on the court and make a circus or break a racket or lose control, self-control, I will not be playing the next tournament, without a doubt. That’s probably why I have this mindset.”
“I don’t want to give up”
Nadal acknowledged that the idea that he was saying goodbye to the tournament passed through his mind, however, the Spaniard continued to play and bet on his game until he found a way to disarm his rival. “I thought I was losing, so… And in Australia I had a very similar feeling. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying or keep fighting. Even if I think I’m going to lose the match, my mentality is to think, ‘Okay, I’m playing poorly, I had two breaks, but even so I’m going to lose, I’m going to try to finish the match with a better feeling. So I need to fight to find them in the last game,'” he said.
Francis Roig ‘s pupil in California assured that he does not have as much confidence in himself as people may think, but that in his spirit there is no room for the idea of giving up. «The only thing I can say is that if people believe that I believe all the time that I am going to come back, it is not true. I don’t have this incredible self-confidence. But in my mind I don’t want to give up . I keep trying. But I know it will be almost impossible. What I’m trying to do is not help him win. Go ahead and make things a little more difficult for the opponent. The normal thing in this type of games, in that position, is that out of 100 you lose 90. But if you give up, you lose 100. If you are there, you can win that 10%, “he valued.
After his great comeback against Sebastian Korda, Nadal will now face Daniel Evans in the third round, a duel that will take place this Monday at a time yet to be determined. This is the third confrontation between the two, with two victories for the Spaniard, both on hard court (Davis Cup 2019 and Canadian Masters 1000, in the same year).
