‘I was surprised at how well I played’ – Rafael Nadal shakes off shorter break to dominate in Dubai

ATP Tour
Rafael Nadal press conference

Rafael Nadal powered his way past Karen Khachanov at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship to set up a final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Spaniard never looked in any difficulties at all as he effortlessly continued the momentum that saw him enjoy a title-laden second half of the year.

“It’s nice to play some good tennis, I did almost every right,” Nadal said after the 6-1, 6-3 win.

“I was a little surprised by how well I played, and I hope to be able to have one more good match tomorrow in the final.”

It was a continuation of the recent form that saw Nadal finish the 2019 as the world number one, and he is happy to be back on court again despite such a short rest period.

“I played a good level of tennis tonight, better than what I thought.

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“I was playing well at the end of the season, which was just 15 days ago when I was winning the Davis Cup.

“The break went quick. On one side it could be negative that we didn’t have a lot of time to rest, but on the other hand I finished the season playing well, which helps me to keep going”

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