Rafael Nadalwho began his return to competition with a well-deserved and indisputable victory after almost a year, injured, by defeating the Austrian Dominic Thiemcautioned despite the good feelings shown in his first round match in the tournament. Brisbane.
“It has only been a good start. It is true that after so much time, after a year, I played very well and especially with everything that happened and the circumstances in which I got here”recalled the winner of twenty-two Grand Slams, who admitted to feeling the sensations “very positive.”
“I had a good day. I played very solid, almost without making mistakes. I didn’t make bad decisions”said.
Your goals and your priorities
Nadal does not set short-term goals. Just competition. “If I become competitive again, great. It will be a surprise too. That is my only goal, to be competitive in a couple of months. We have to go day by day,” said Nadal.. “It’s just a game”.
The Spanish tennis player emphasized that the match against Thiem was “very positive but we will see next time.” “If I can train at the level I need and play matches, the chances are higher to be competitive again sooner, but if I have problems again everything will be more complicated, more difficult,” Nadal said.
“The main thing and priority for me is to be healthy”featured the Spaniard achieving number 1,069 on the circuit against Thiem, which saw him overtake Ivan Lendl and move into fourth place on the all-time men’s list.
“I never forgot to play tennis”
“Obviously I never forgot to play tennis, but the difficult thing is to perform it in a match. You have to recover your movement and it takes time,” added
“Anything can happen after a long time without playing a game. You jump on the court and expect anything. Unbelievable things or calamities. A bad or good day. I arrived without much expectation. It is normal in this situation to have more nerves than normal. You have doubts about your physical condition. I had doubts about how everything would turn out, that it could also go wrong and worried me,” he explained.
“I need to be on the court and not think about it, but for everything to come to me spontaneously. And that is why hours are needed on the court. It is a happy day for me and tomorrow I have the day to train. I’m glad to play again the next day”Balearic indicated.
Previously, on court, Nadal acknowledged that the day had been “emotional and important after probably one of the hardest years of my tennis career. “I came back after a year and played in front of incredible people and, I think, played at a very positive level.”
“The first day is something that makes us proud. Me, the whole team and the family that have been there every day for the past year.”
“The first set was even, we both served well and more or less won the serve. I was able to get that break at 6-5, so that made a difference. “I know that Dominic also went through difficult times because of injuries, so I’m happy to see him on court and I wish him the best for the season,” Nadal said.
“I missed being healthy. I missed the feeling of being competitive and playing in this environment and with so many fans,” he highlighted.
Source: La Verdad
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