Rafael Nadal on Tuesday (January 25) defeated Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3 to reach his 36th Grand Slam semi-final. The 35-year-old Spaniard is aiming for his record 21st Grand slam title. Nadal was leading with two sets up, after which Shapovalov fought back levelling the scores. Nadal then clinched the game in the fifth set.
A relieved Nadal said, “I was completely destroyed. Very tough day, very warm. I didn't practice for it.”
“I was a little bit lucky at the beginning of the fifth. At the beginning of the match, I was playing great but I know how difficult it is to play against a player like Denis.”
"For me, it's amazing to be in the semi-finals," the southpaw added.
The Spaniard has a couple of days to rest and will try to recover physically before his semi-final against the winner between seventh seeded Matteo Berrettini and no. 17, Gael Monfils.
"It's very important (the two-day break). I'm not 21 anymore!"
"After this . . . great to have two days off. I felt quite good physically in terms of movement. At least it was a great test. I really believe I'm going to be ready for the semifinals," he said after the match.
Nadal overcame an abdominal injury during the fourth set, due to which he was seen leaving the court for nearly seven minutes for a medical examination and a toilet break.
"I started to feel not very well in my stomach," said the sixth seed.
"I think I was lucky that I was serving great in the fifth. It was a great test and I really believe I'm going to be ready for that semi-final." Nadal added.
Nadal also spoke about his uncertainty to return back on the court as he spent a major part of 2021 battling injuries.
"The real truth is that 2 months ago we didn't know if we would be able to be back on tour, at all. So here I am. For me, it is a present of life that I am playing tennis again," a relieved Nadal said.
Nadal had lost from being two sets up against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the same stage last year and it appeared something similar would happen when Shapovalov fought back and took the game to the final set. However, the 35-year-old used his experience to turn things around in the decider set.
