US Open: Rafael Nadal ‘horrible’ experiences revealed by Dominic Thiem
RAFAEL NADAL faces Dominic Thiem in the US Open quarter-finals tomorrow, and the Austrian has spoken about some “horrible” experiences he has faced previously.
US Open: Thiem excited to 'play Nadal on a hard court'
Nadal is aiming to retain his US Open crown this week, but must get past talented 25-year-old Thiem to reach the last four.
Neither Nadal or Thiem have had comfortable journeys through to the quarter-finals.
The Austrian needed five sets to beat American Steve Johnson in the second round but recorded an impressive win over fifth seed Kevin Anderson last time out.
Nadal meanwhile has needed four sets in each of his previous two rounds.
This will be the first time Nadal and Thiem meet away from a clay court, with Nadal holding the edge in their 10 encounters.
Thiem has described his losses to Nadal as “horrible” and he doesn’t sound confident about causing an upset at Flushing Meadows.
"I have had three very nice experiences and seven horrible experiences," said Thiem.
"But I'm really looking forward to playing him on a hard court for the first time.
"On clay, I think it's one of the biggest challenges in sports to beat this guy or to compete with this guy.
"I hope that it's a little bit more comfortable on hard court, but I'm not sure."
He added: ”Nobody's game really matches up well with his.
"That's why Rafa is so unbelievably successful. No matter what, it's always really tough to play against him."
But Nadal is not underestimating his opponents, insisting he needs to be at the top of his game to ensure he progresses.
"He's a fantastic player. He's a very powerful player. He's a great guy. Very good relationship with him," he added.
"Happy for him that he's in quarterfinals here. Last year he lost a very tough match against Del Potro here.
“I need to play my best match of the tournament if I want to keep having chances to stay in the tournament."