Nadal on his US Open hopes: “Now is the time to play better”

The Spaniard says he needs to replicate his form from practice if he’s to have a chance of adding to his record 22 Grand Slam titles

Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic

Simon Cambers

September 2, 2022

Whatever happens to Rafael Nadal in the rest of this year’s US Open, he will head into the final part of 2022 with a feeling of satisfaction.

Having begun the year with doubts about his fitness after a foot injury, Nadal has two more Grand Slam titles to his name – the Australian Open and French Open – taking his tally to a record 22. All being well, he’ll take his place in the ATP Finals yet again, at the age of 36.

We're glad you are ok, @RafaelNadal 🙏 pic.twitter.com/t9hzv1QNMH
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2022

“Well, I knew I will be there since a while because winning two Grand Slams, it’s difficult to not be there,” he said. “But, yeah, good news of course. One more year at the age of 36. Finish the year probably, if nothing goes wrong, in the top five. Yeah, it’s better than what we expected when we started the year and we didn’t know much about how the things going to go, no?”

Nadal: “I am practising much better than I am playing”

But Nadal is intent on adding to his Grand Slam tally and picking up a fifth US Open title. To do that, he will need to raise his game, having struggled in his first two matches, including his second one against Fabio Fognini, when he compounded matters by hitting himself in the face with his racquet, causing a nose bleed which left him dizzy for a few moments.

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“Happy to stay alive after tonight. Now is the moment to play better. I hope to be ready to make that happen,” he said.

“I am practising much, much better than what I am playing. That’s a positive thing. Then I need to make that happen on the matches. It’s something that is not easy. But I’m making a step forward.”

Luckily for Nadal, his next opponent, Richard Gasquet, is a man he knows well, having beaten him 17 times out of 17. If there is someone who can help him back to top form, then Gasquet is the man.

“I think at the end of the match today I played better than in the first round without a doubt, too,” Nadal said. “It’s an improvement. Two matches already. Two victories. That helps. Now another opportunity against Richard.”