2018 Internazionali BNL d’Italia QF Rafael Nadal bt. Fabio Fognini 4/6 6/1 6/2
Next opponent - Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori
Rafael Nadal: "We both played well in the first set, good quality. I missed opportunities, made mistakes with the backhand, he was aggressive. Couple of bad games, then I changed the way, became more aggressive"
"I had to do somethnig different to win. When I'm playing on clay I need to be aggressive"
"You can't control everything. You can try something else, today i had success. It's important to stay calm"
"I had an incredible clay season. Of course it would be much better if could go on and win here. But to be honest, I'm happy already, I had five months without completing a single event. To come back is already great"
"I didn't miss Novak (laughs). When I have to play him, I do my best. But I prefer easier tournaments (laugh)" (via Ubitennis)
Photos: Internazionali BNL d’Italia; REUTERS; AP; EPA; AFP; Getty Images
• Last game
• Best shots
• Hot shot
• Highlights
• Rafa analizes his match
On Fabio, Rafa says he's a great player who can cause trouble to anyone when he's on fire. Volandri tells Rafa that his backhand looks better than ever. Rafa agrees it's working well & talks on how import his backhand is for his game (to open the court & dictate w/FH)
Finally, Rafa's asked to say who he prefers for SF (Nishikori or Djokovic) but says he can do nothing on that match. Both are great & experienced players & the SF will be tough for sure with both. Only thing he can do is to get ready & try to play at his best level to have chance to reach Final.
Translated by Genny SS
• Interview