'Special moments we shared' - Rafael Nadal recalls Roger Federer memories at Wimbledon after reaching semis
:focal(178x132:180x130)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/04/03/3673848-74785904-310-310.jpg)
Updated 06/07/2022 at 19:28 GMT
"I honestly enjoy a lot playing these kinds of matches in front of you guys, I can’t thank you enough," Rafael Nadal said in his on-court interview. "Yes, it was a long time ago, but it is impossible not to remember that final with Roger [Federer], all the special moments we shared around the world. On this court we played a couple of the most important matches of our careers."
'Physically he can play, mentally I have no idea' - Wilander on Nadal intensity
Rafael Nadal has spoken about his memories of playing against Roger Federer and also the abdominal injury he suffered as he recovered impressively to overcome Taylor Fritz and reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The second seed somehow managed to continue his quest to secure a historic Calendar Slam in 2022 after he roared back to beat Fritz in a marathon quarter-final.
It took all of Nadal's famous mental strength and physical resilience to come through the encounter with a scoreline of 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 to reach the semi-finals.
The legendary Spaniard, who was looking to win his third Grand Slam singles title in succession after his incredible triumphs at the Australian Open and French Open already this year, took a medical timeout at 4-3 up in the second set. He battled on valiantly and managed to overcome the American in a final-set thriller.
"I honestly enjoy a lot playing these kinds of matches in front of you guys, I can’t thank you enough," he said in his on-court interview.
"It had been a tough afternoon playing, he’s a great player. All the credit to Taylor, he’s been playing great the whole season. From my personal side, it was not an easy match at all, so I'm just very happy to be in the semi-final.
"The body, in general, is fine. Of course, the abdominal is not going well, I had to find a way to serve a little bit different. For a lot of moments I was thinking, 'I will not be able to finish the match', but the court energy was something else.
"Yes, it was a long time ago, but it is impossible not to remember that final with Roger [Federer], all the special moments we shared around the world.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/07/05/3404788-69575928-2560-1440.png)
'Be prepared for controlled chaos' - Wilander on how to play Kyrgios at Wimbledon
"On this court, we played a couple of the most important matches of our careers, so going back to 2008, it would have been difficult to imagine in 2022 I would still be here at Wimbledon playing, but here I am and I am happy for that.
"First thing, I hope to be ready to play it [the semi-final]. Nick [Kyrgios] is a great player on all surfaces, but especially on grass; he is having a great grass-court season.
"It’s going to be a big challenge and I’m going to need to be at my 100 per cent to have a chance, and that is what I am going to try to do.”
Next up for Nadal will be a fascinating semi-final clash with fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios on Centre Court on Friday with the 36-year-old aiming to win his third Grand Slam singles title in what has been an incredible season.
Kyrgios continued his remarkable charge at Wimbledon with a straight-sets victory over Cristian Garin of Chile on Wednesday evening.
The unseeded star, who has had a hugely dramatic campaign already at the All England Club, held his composure throughout on Court 1 to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam singles event for the first time in his career.
- - -
Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2209.png)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/geo/country/flag/large/2203.png)