Nadal Expects Tough Battle In Miami Quest
Nadal Expects Tough Battle In Miami Quest
The Spaniard was a Miami finalist in 2005, ’08, ’10 and ’14
Rafael Nadal would love to add a first Miami Open presented by Itau trophy to his 69 ATP World Tour titles and continue his strong start to 2017.
The World No. 7, who plays either Dudi Sela or a qualifier in the second round, is the fifth seed in Miami. Despite the absence of World No. 1 Andy Murray and World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, Nadal said that the path to the title would still be a tough one.
“As everybody knows, the year is long and there are plenty of tournaments,” said Nadal. “Djokovic and Murray might not be here, but there are a lot of great players.”
Nadal is making his 13th appearance in Miami, where he is a four-time finalist (2005, ’08, ’10 and ’14), and is targeting another chance at glory.
“Winning Miami is not an obsession. I would love to add Miami to my CV. The opportunities are not eternal, although I hope to have more in the future,” revealed Nadal. “I had four chances and in two of them I was very close. Normally, when you have those chances you have to take them.”
Nadal arrives in Miami with a 14-4 match record for the season. At Indian Wells last week, the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the season, he reached the BNP Paribas Open fourth round, losing to eventual champion Roger Federer.
The 30 year old, aiming to capture his first hard court title since Doha in January 2014, has also reached finals at the Australian Open (l. Federer) and Acapulco (l. Querrey) in 2017.
“I feel good. I have started the year well,” said Nadal. “In every match I felt that I performed well. Now I have another chance to do it and hopefully I will be ready.”