Rafael Nadal: 'I cannot guarantee you I will face Roger Federer'
Rafael Nadal defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 7-6 to reach the Indian Wells semifinals. The Spaniard suffered a knee injury during the match but thanks to an unbelievable fighting spirit he prevailed. "It’s not every day you get to play a quarter-final in Indian Wells, so I just tried to be focused and give my best. I’m just happy to be in the semi-finals. It’s a beautiful thing for me and I’m happy with the way I’ve played the whole event", said Nadal.
The Spaniard admitted he may not be able to compete against Roger Federer on Saturday: “I love to play on hard, but my body doesn't love it that much… I am used to playing with some issues, so I just tried to be focused. Of course, my goal is to be ready for tomorrow…[but] I cannot guarantee how I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning. I am used to playing with some issues, so I just tried to be focused until then. And to keep holding the situation. It's one of these victories today that I am really proud of."
Speaking to SRF, the 17-time Grand Slam winner added: "Roger is a person you can talk to, inside the court I admire him. The most memorable win for me was Wimbledon 2008. He played tennis his whole life, in some ways it’s good to share our careers in another way it‘s tough, we took a lot from each other."
Federer concluded: When Rafa came on tour I was World No. 1 and he was very shy and it was like, Whatever Roger is deciding is okay, then he grew stronger and developed his own character. Our tough five setters matches united us over the years, our families have a mutual respect for each other."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Cyb55J
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