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And with that victory, Nadal is now through to the 14th Australian Open quarterfinal of his career, and the 45th Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career.
The Spaniard, who has actually reached the quarterfinals or better in 14 of his last 15 appearances at the Australian Open, is now tied for second-most career appearances in the final eight for a man in the tournament’s history.
Nadal’s 45 career Grand Slam quarterfinals include 14 at the Australian Open, 15 at Roland Garros, 7 at Wimbledon and 9 at the US Open.
You may have heard I’m a big fan of Rafael Nadal and when I met him for the first time it was pretty cool to see he is down to earth.
He was really humble and it doesn’t seem like the success has changed him. If I’m going to win more Grand Slam titles and have more success in my career then I hope I will be like Rafa.
At Roland Garros last year we hit together on court. When we met it felt surreal. I was super excited and I could not stop smiling for about five minutes.
I wanted to see how Rafa was in real life and he was making fun of his forehand which is crazy because he has the best forehand ever in my opinion.
I remember at my first Grand Slam I had to push myself to get his autograph because I was nervous. So hitting with him a few years later was the kind of moment where you can see how much progress you have made and what you have been through.
Social media related to Rafa:
Mats Wilander heaps praise on Rafa after Australian Open win: “He’s unbelievable. I get goosebumps when I watch him and I hope he never goes away. He’s fantastic as a problem solver and as a motivating figure in my life, to be honest.”
Rafa is simply the best.. pure class. He I hardly ever able to play an entire year due to injuries.
Amazing that he has been able to achieve such incredible success
I was disappointed that Rafa has another 2pm start today.
Kudos to Daniil Medvedev for his win vs Cressy. It was a tough match of cat and mouse. So glad our champ was also victorious against this very dangerous player.
Goosebumps? Me too. I’m not surprised at what Mats said. A lovely tribute to Rafa. Mats Wilander was full of praise and adulation for Rafa and he has genuine respect for our champ, but when Rafa started losing to Djokovic he switched camps.
Most pundits do this. When a player is doing well, they are full of praise for that person, but as soon as they start to losing they switch allegiances. Greg Ruzedski is a prime example.
Like Boxing, the sport of Tennis is often a battle of different playing styles. Due to contrasting techniques and different boxing styles, Frazier would always be a candidate of easy and early knock-outs against Foreman, but would always pose a tremendous threat against Ali, while Ali would be a major threat to Foreman – this all boils down to their respective boxing styles. Likewise, in spite of having an overall superior game on Hard Court and Grass, Federer had been quite vulnerable against Nadal on HC and Grass (until he sorted out Nadal-puzzle on HC and Grass in 2015 following which he had a streak of 6 consecutive wins against Nadal on HC and Grass).
Nadal’s QF match against Shapovalov is also going to be a battle of contrasting playing styles. Shapovalov’s game is mainly built around quick movements inside the court and charging to the net at every opportunity. This kind of playing style depends a lot on rhythmic movements. Once the opponent start regularly finding his passing shots, Shapovalov’s game would quickly start to fall apart. He seemingly does not have enough patience to go toe-to-toe from the baseline and engage in long rallies against his opponents once his core game falls apart.
With that said, my expectation is that Shapovalov will cause initial troubles to Nadal until Nadal starts finding his range of passing shots and dipping volleys at the feet of his opponents. If his body holds good and the service doesn’t desert him, Nadal is looking to good enough to overcome the challenges of Shapovalov and Berrettini (or a resurgent Monfils) until the ultimate challenge of winning the final probably against Medvedev.
All the best for the QF tomorrow. Vamos Rafa❤️
I get goosebumps every time I watch Rafa, too. Including these little clips of one amazing shot he makes. He truly is beyond amazing. Keep going, Rafa! We want you to be the one to get 21!
Wow ! Mats usually has something negative to say about Rafa. Talk about a change of heart. Welcome to the Rafa Club who are inspired by this great person and champion 🇪🇸⭐️👏
Mats Wilander usually does my head in with his refusal to say anything nice about Rafa!
I had to re-read that a few times! Mats Wilender getting goosebumps every time he watches Rafa! That’s huge! Funny thing is I still get the goosies whenever Rafa walks on court so know what he talking about!
I know I’m late responding to your comment but I have to put my two cents in. LOL
When I read Mats’s praises of Rafa I thought I was having a senior moment. Kid you not. Went as far as googling “Isn’t Federer Mats’s favorite?” Again, kid you not. Had to laugh at myself thinking it was “fake” news.
Rafa is undoubtedly the best of the best in world tennis today.