Why Rafael Nadal was 'a little bit nervous' during US Open first-round victory over Rinky Hijikata
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Updated 31/08/2022 at 10:48 GMT
While second seed Rafael Nadal managed to come through his opening match at the US Open against Rinky Hijikata of Australia, he did admit afterwards to suffering from some nerves during the encounter. Nadal, who is one of four players able to potentially secure the world No. 1 ranking by the end of the final Grand Slam of the year, now believes he may feel more settled in the tournament.
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Rafael Nadal may have swept past Rinky Hijikata in impressive fashion after losing the opening set of their US Open first-round clash, but he also revealed that he was "a little bit nervous" during the match.
The second seed fell a set down to the Australian in a surprising start to the encounter but rallied to eventually win out, 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3, to reach the second round, where he will face Fabio Fognini.
When he came to reflect on the match afterwards, Nadal admitted that nerves played a part in him losing the opening set after having had to contend with injuries in the lead up to the tournament.
"Well, obviously a tough match," Nadal said in his post-match press conference. "I think I started not that bad in the first couple of games, but then I had some opportunities that I was not able to make.
"I think I didn't play a good game with my serve, then he had the break. Then I was a little bit nervous. First match here in New York after three years, a night session, it's always exciting. Yes, I went through this tough moment.
"But then I think I played better. I was not perfect, but happy. My second match in 50 days, more or less. In some ways, it was not the day to play perfectly. It was a day to just get the job done, and that is what I did. I'm happy about that.
"I have been practising quite well during the whole week, but then competing is a different story. You need to go through this process. Not easy.
"As I said, last week I lost a match in the first round. When you come back from a period of time of injury, the first match is so important because you go through that first match, and then the feelings start to be better again."
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Nadal hopes the three hours and nine minutes he spent on court will prepare him for his encounter with Fognini, against whom the Spaniard has a favourable 13-4 winning record.
"At the beginning, I don't think I made my opportunities. Things start to go your way, then you start to feel more relaxed, more comfortable. You are able to develop your game in a more aggressive way without nerves," Nadal said.
"You know, that is the sport. My opponent did it very well for a while. Yes, was a tough battle. Three hours there. In some way that probably helps. I know what I have to do better for the next couple of days.
"But it is always the same story: things are not perfect when you are not competing very often, when you come back from injury.
"You need to be humble enough to go through this process and accept that you need to fight and you need to accept that you going to suffer. That is what I did today. I am able to play again in two days, and I hope to play better."
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