Rafael Nadal Taking It “Day by Day” In Madrid

Written by: Staff on 6th May 2012

Rafael Nadal Taking It "Day by Day" In Madrid

epa03208283 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal gives a press conference prior to his participation at the Madrid Masters 1.000 tournament, also known as Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, in Madrid, central Spain, 06 May 2012. The tournament runs until 13 May. EPA/JAVIR LIZON |

(Original Story: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/05/19/Madrid-Preview-Nadal-Focused.aspx)

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal enters the Mutua Madrid Open at the top of his game, following his recent clay-court triumphs in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, but acknowledged that it would not be an easy road to reclaim the title at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

“It is impossible to have an easy draw in a Masters 1000,” he said on Sunday in Madrid. “The best players of the world are here, there’s no possibility of having an easy draw. If you play well you will have your options but if you don’t, you won’t. It’s quite easy to be out of the tournament early so the options are just taking it day by day.”

Case in point: Nadal will open against former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, whom he trails 4-6 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head. While the 56th-ranked Russian has an 8-8 record this season, he still boasts a four-match winning streak against the Spaniard. “He is a complicated rival,” admitted Nadal. “I will try and continue to do as good as possible, like I have been doing since the beginning of the year.”

Potential match-ups looming for Nadal include Fernando Verdasco in the third round, Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals and Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or John Isner in the semi-finals.

“I have to play my maximum game, at the top of my possibilities and if I do that I will get through,” said Nadal, who has yet to drop a set on clay this season. “I will try. When I serve, I also serve well – it’s quite difficult to break me when I serve – but, as I said, day after day, that’s all I keep thinking. I have to keep focused.”

Last year, Nadal lost his Madrid crown to Novak Djokovic, falling 7-5, 6-4 in the final. It marked Nadal’s first loss to the Serbian on clay, and the third of seven straight finals he would lose to his rival before he broke the streak three weeks ago at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

“He’s a brilliant player and he’s been having a great year and it’s normal he can’t win some matches,” said Nadal. “But, if you have the level of Novak, anything can happen. Last year he won many things, you need a lot of circumstances to repeat what happened last year. You have to be really there and have really good luck. You can have good luck or bad luck and obviously when you win it is because you deserve it, but with a little bit of bad luck you can really lose any match.”

The 25-year-old Mallorcan will be looking to increase his record ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title haul to 21 this week, and further gain ground on Djokovic in the South African Airways ATP Rankings.

“We are three or four months into the competition, I’m in a good position,” he said of the fight for the No. 1 ranking. “I’ve made a good start this season… I think I am playing well, in fact, just being up there is a reason to be really happy. As always, my first aim is to qualify to the [Barclays ATP World Tour Finals]. I just try to be positive, as I am telling you things are good, I take things one day at a time, keeping my feet on the ground and following the same lines through these months.”