US Open: Rafael Nadal would have been ‘jumping for joy’ at one thing - James Blake
RAFAEL NADAL is aiming to retain his US Open crown this week and James Blake noticed one thing at the very beginning of the tournament that would have pleased the Spaniard.
US Open: Nadal prepares for his match against Thiem
Nadal breezed past both David Ferrer and Vasek Pospisil in the early stages of the US Open without dropping a set.
And despite needing four sets to defeat Karen Khachanov and Nikoloz Basilashvili, Nadal has still looked in strong form.
He now faces Dominic Thiem for a place in the semi-finals after the Austrian defeated last year’s finalist Kevin Anderson.
Flushing Meadows has been Nadal’s second most fruitful Grand Slam, having won three titles in his career.
And former American tennis star Blake has suggested why Nadal may be feeling confident about his chances in New York.
“I think when he stepped on the grounds here and saw this slower surface he had to be jumping for joy,” Blake said on Tennis Channel.
“I know he doesn’t show it. He keeps a lot to his chest in the press conferences.
“But he had to be so excited to see this court not slick, not quick at all and much more in his favour.
“I think he’s shown it well. He did really well against Khachanov and against Basilashvili - he was so dangerous, can hit it out of his shoes - but Nadal handled it excellently.”
This will be the 11th meeting between Nadal and Thiem and the fourth of 2018.
While Nadal holds the slight edge - winning seven of the 10 contests - he admits he can ill-afford any slip ups if he harbours any hopes of retaining his US Open title.
“He's a fantastic player. He's a very powerful player. He's a great guy. Very good relationship with him,” Nadal said.
Rafael Nadal looks ahead to 'tough' Dominic Thiem match
“Happy for him that he's in quarterfinals here. Last year he lost a very tough match against Del Potro here.
“Yeah, in some way he deserves to be where he is. Gonna be a tough one.
“He's very powerful player, and, yeah, he knows how to play these kind of matches.
“I need to play my best match of the tournament if I want to keep having chances to stay in the tournament."