Rafael Nadal Insists He’s Capable Of Competing For Grand Slams

Anyone’s match to win.

“I think because, mentally, I’m stronger”, he said. I know what I have to do.

Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka, sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan, eighth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem and former champion Juan Martin del Potro will also battle for quarter-final berths.

The 27-year-old Tsurenko had never been past the third round at a major before this tournament.

Nadal won the US Open in 2010 and 2013 among the 14 Grand Slam single titles – mainly in Paris – in his career. “But now I have one more match to play again, so we’ll see after the tournament”. Facing a much younger, much-less-accomplished opponent, Nadal twice erased a set deficit. He was taken inside for further evaluation, then came back out to finish the match.

And then, more than 4 hours into the toughest test he’s put his left wrist through since returning from injury, Nadal faltered.

He also sent a short forehand into the net at 6-6 in the tie-break, but denied pressure was the reason.

Rafael Nadal is well known for his success in majors.

Lucas Pouille, of France, reacts after beating Rafael Nadal, of Spain, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in NY. I’ve worked hard the last couple days and health-wise I feel much better than I did at the beginning of the tournament. Had the right attitude.

Said Nadal: “I fight until the end, until the last ball”.

“So I need to improve to be better than them”. “I needed something more that was not there today”.

That came right after Djokovic got broken for the first time in the match and was part of a stretch of three games in a row for Edmund.

Back came Nadal, though, and after taking the fourth, he broke early in the decider to move with two games of a place in the quarter-finals, where Gael Monfils awaited the victor. Beating Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, is no easy feat.

Lucas Pouille of France, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after Pouille outlasted Nadal in a five-set thriller in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday. But Pouille broke back to 4-all.

The 22-year-old then pulled 6-3 clear to open up three match points but, while Nadal saved them all, he then missed a simple forehand and Pouille pounced to snatch a momentous victory.

Nadal wouldn’t concede yet, though, and one forehand victor by him plus two tight forehands by Pouille made it 6-all. Anyone’s match to win.

When he reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon this year, many tipped the 22-year-old Lucas Pouille as a star of the future.

“With three match points I thought, “you are going to win this one”. Pouille pulled off a victor down the line the next point to seal victory.

He dropped on his back, his tongue sticking out. Since his first French Open title in 2005, the Spaniard has made a total of 20 Grand Slam finals, advancing to at least quarterfinals every year since 2006.

In the women’s draw, Germany’s Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, saw off the tricky challenge of two-time Wimbledon victor Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic.

The other quarterfinal on that side of the draw will feature yet another Frenchman, No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, against the victor of Sunday night’s last match in Ashe, between No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 84th-ranked Kyle Edmund of Britain.

Tsonga next faces world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic, who powered past 84th-ranked Kyle Edmund of Britain 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Pouille will next face Gael Monfils in the quarterfinal – Monfils has been in terrific form as he kept up his record of not losing a set so far in the event with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory victor against Marcos Baghdatis.