Rafael Nadal: 'I love Chile and I would love to be back'
In an interview to El Mercurio Rafael Nadal recalled when he played the Vina del Mar tournament back in 2013. The Spaniard lost to Horacio Zeballos in the final. Nadal said: "I have very nice memories from that visit. It was the first tournament after that an injury forced me to skip the Australian Open and I definitely felt the people from Chile were close to me. I am very grateful for how they treated me and I really feel at home. The history, culture and language are important and that's what makes us feel very close. I loved Chile and its people. I would love to be back."
On the younger Chilean player Christian Garin, Nadal added: "He spent some time in the Academy and I think it was useful for his career too. I am very happy to have had him with us."
On Fernando Gonzalez, one of the biggest Chilean players, Nadal said: "He defeated me in the 2007 Australian Open quarter-finals and I also had the chance to face him in the Rome final, among the others. He was hitting the ball strong." On Nicolas Massu, Nadal said: "Now I see him a lot in the tournaments since he coaches Dominic Thiem. Facing him brings always happiness"
Roger Federer played in Quito, Ecuador, at a high altitude some weeks ago. The Swiss spoke about the game conditions: "The ball goes much faster here. It's different tennis, I do not know how to explain it. When you hit the ball, it flies more than what you may think. If you do not hit well, it can end up on the grounds. It's more complicated to hit the backhand and easier to hit flat shots. Breathing is tougher."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/34M5XGV
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