A duel against Novak Djokovic, at Arthur Ashe Stadium of New York and the night session. That’s the amazing challenge won by Spanish tennis player Bernabé Zapata, who will face the Serbian genius in the second round of the United States Open.
“Honestly, it’s a track I’ve always dreamed of. Arthur Ashe is the biggest track in the world (with a capacity for almost 24,000 spectators) and I’ve always dreamed of playing in the night session with the great players, in this case. with Novak. In the end, this is what a child always wants when he watches television: to be in a ‘grand slam’ against one of the best in history,” he told EFE on Monday.
“So, the truth is that emotionally it’s a game that I really want to play. I know everything behind it, but I really want to play it because it’s an opportunity that you’ve been waiting for throughout your career,” he added.
Zapata (76) defeated American Ethan Quinn (475) 6-4, 6-4 and 6-3 in two hours and 13 minutes on Monday in the first round and will face Djokovic (2), who beat Djokovic (2) in the next round. the French Alexandre Müller (85) and ensured that he was number one in the ATP, instead of the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, when this ‘grand slam’ ended.
With no precedents in matches or training sessions in the Balkans, the man from Valencia, knowing the enormous challenge that lies ahead, says he will go out with the hope of ringing the bell.
“I have to go out and try to win the game: not think about what Novak is, not think about the stadium. And play my game. After all, it’s one more game in my career, I take it that way,” he reflected. .
“I think the key, of course, is that he had a pretty bad day. You have to be honest, it’s a fact. He’s a player with one of the best levels of tennis in history. And, apart from that, he ‘ not even comfortable on the track (…) it’s difficult if he’s at a medium level to get his hands,” he added.
Zapata, who will step onto Arthur Ashe Stadium in Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time this Tuesday to train, also hinted that this is a match where managing emotions and nerves and being “calm” will be very important.
On the other hand, the Spaniard was very pleased with his victory over Quinn, a promising youngster who is only 19 years old.
“I am very happy because it is an emotionally complex match because a priori he is a player without much experience; this is the first time he has played in a ‘grand slam’. I have studied how he has played well, his aggressiveness. It’s based a lot on the serve and the right, more than anything. That’s where I focus the game on being solid, trying not to make too many mistakes, looking for a lot of backhands because I know there he suffered from long exchanges and was different from others,” he explained.
“It has been a very serious game. Physically and mentally, I have been very stable, which I think is very important when you play such long games,” he said.
Source: La Verdad
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