"It's just a quarterfinal match, I didn't win anything" says Nadal as he eyes trophy at Roland Garros
ATP
Rafael Nadal bested Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Roland Garros, but he calmed the optimistic talks after the win.
Nadal wasn't an outsider on the clay courts many times in his career, but he was against Djokovic in Paris. Still, he beat the Serbian player 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach the semi-finals of the clay-court Grand Slam.
The win meant a lot to him, and after the match, the Spaniard explained why beating his life-long rival made him emotional.
"I became emotional because, of course, the last three months and a half for me, the only thing that I can say is it hasn't been easy. I'm not going to be talking about all the things I went through the last couple of months anymore now because I have to keep going, but of course, it hasn't been a fun three months. All these things... make this match more special, without a doubt."
At the same time, Nadal is aware of the fact that their match was "only" a quarter-final match. While Djokovic and Nadal might be used to playing in the final, the Spaniard still has two matches ahead of him if he wants to win the title.
"In the end, it has been a very emotional night for me. I'm still playing for nights like today. But it's just a quarter-final match, no? So I didn't win anything. So I just give myself a chance to be back on the court in two days, play another semi-final here in Roland Garros. It means a lot to me."
"If I am not playing good or if I am losing in that semi-finals match, [it is] not going to be because I'm not going to be focussed... I have experience with that. I am not the kind of guy and player that emotionally goes high and low. I am very stable, I think, emotionally."
Like a true professional, Nadal doesn't want to think about the win for too long. He knows it's time to start preparing for his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev, and that's exactly what he plans to do.
"I know how things work, no? It's the moment to enjoy today because [it has] been a beautiful night for me, without a doubt. Very emotional one."
"But tomorrow [I'm] going to start thinking about things that I need to do to be ready for that semi-finals. The main goal is to be focused on [keeping] the level that I have been playing today."
