PHOTOS/VIDEO: 2019 Barcelona Open SF Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem

2019 Barcelona Open SF Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem  4-6 4-6 

“After this week my confidence is back,” Nadal said. “I really believe that I made very good improvements to create a good base to try to achieve my goals during the next couple of weeks." $CUT$

“He [Thiem] played great. He did all the things that he had to do very well and with big success. I am happy the way that I played from the baseline. Starting the point in good position or in bad position, changed a lot... but the rest of the things have been positive and as I said before, congrats to him, he played great. He's a great guy and great player and I'm happy for him. I wish him all the best.”

"[It’s a] big difference. Against Fognini I played the worst match probably in 14 years on clay. Today I played a good match of tennis. It [was] a good level of tennis this afternoon. I played against a great opponent. Fognini is a great opponent too but I was not a competitive player. Today I was competitive, and I enjoyed the match. I really felt [that I was] competitive for the first time in a way that I want to feel myself. And as I said before I am happy and I am confident that I made a big improvement this week."

“The serve [was] an important part of the match this afternoon. I didn't serve well at all, especially the second serve. So when I started to miss the second serve, I really lost a little bit of the confidence on trying to go for a good first serve, because I was without confidence on the second, so that affects the first."

Can Thiem become World #1?

“Why not? Depends. Everybody can be No. 1. Not everybody, but there are a couple players who can be No. 1. It is not an easy thing. But of course it depends on the results he will be able to have. He's a good player. He's a hard worker. So I would love to see him [be] No. 1,” Nadal said. “I like him in all terms, as a tennis player, as a hard worker, as a person. So I wish him all the very best for his future, but not everything. I hope to be ready to compete against him and to beat him in the next couple of weeks.”

ATP

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