Rafael Nadal is still without a match. The Spaniard has not competed since he was injured at the Australian Open and there is still no date for his expected return, which will take place during the clay court season that begins in April.
Despite his prolonged inactivity and his physical problems, the former number 1 in the world is still on the minds of his rivalsespecially with a view to the next big event of the season, Roland Garros.
This is the case of Daniil Medvedev, who in recent times has shown his respect and admiration for the Spanish level in clay.
“I have managed to beat Novak a few times, but I have also lost big matches to him. I know that in Australia he is very difficult to beat. However, I have to admit that losing to Rafa at Roland Garros was the biggest challenge in tennis. The truth is I want to try to do it, but I’m afraid to face him on clay. Beating him in Paris and Novak in Melbourne are two very big challenges that I want to achieve,” he explained after his victory over Brandon Nakashima (6-3, 6-4) in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000.
The Russian arrives in California in top form after successively proclaiming himself champion at the Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai tournaments. “Honestly, I see myself as capable of winning anywhere. I just assume that one bad day here in California will make it very likely that I will be knocked out, while in other events I can afford not to play well and win . The fact that being the champion in Doha gives me a higher level of confidence because the conditions are similar to here. In this tournament there are many surprises, it makes sense that many favorites fall in the first round because of the conditions that exist, so I must be very helpful to each party”, declared.
“I have to evolve a lot when it comes to managing bad times. I’ve said before that it’s very hard for me to stop a tennis player when I’m confident, but it’s also true that when I lose, it’s very hard for me to win matches. Paying more attention to specific hits, I know I need to improve my volley a lot and I am working hard to achieve this”, he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
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