Rafael Nadal admits he was ‘surprised’ at Daniil Medvedev being able to match him tactically
Rafael Nadal has heaped praise on Daniil Medvedev, saying that not many players are able to turn a match around tactically against him like the Russian achieved in the US Open final.
Medvedev came into the final on the back of a stunning summer that saw him reaching four successive finals.
Nadal was a still the strong favourite though, and it looked to be heading for a routine win for him as he went two sets up.
However, Medvedev wasn’t finished, and Nadal has acknowledged the scale of his achievement to run him so close from such a position.
“When you win so much you have many qualities,” Nadal told Eurosport of Medvedev.
“I was surprised for his tactical turnaround at some point but not at such extent.
“I have seen just a few players moving so well, hitting slice backhands like that.”
Nadal, of course, managed to find a way to win the match, and he says he always backed himself to resist the Russian’s charge.
“Going from 3-2 to 4-2 in the third set would have been crucial but I played bad, it complicated everything, I missed an easy volley although the ball got much higher than it was supposed to be.
“I could not have control. I was seeing that the match was not going toward the right direction, although I knew that winning three sets in a row against me in a Grand Slam final would have been tough.
“I tried to stay there and I hoped that my opportunity would come.”
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