Rafael Nadal says controlling emotions helps his resurgence in tennis
Rafael Nadal has surged into the quarterfinal round of the Shanghai Masters after a second-round 6-3 7-6(3) win over Canada’s Milos Raonic as the Spaniard continues his journey of resurging his tennis career.
Nadal, seeded eight, has won three titles this year, but the 29-year-old has struggled to find his form that earned him 14 Grand Slam titles. However, after his most recent loss against world No.1 Novak Djokovic at the China Open last week, the “King of Clay” seemed to found his winning ways at the eighth ATP Masters 1000 tournament this season with back-to-back triumphs over Ivo Karlovic and Raonic, two of the biggest servers in the game.
"Winning a match 7‑6 in the third yesterday and winning a match again today in the tiebreak of a second set, two tiebreaks without losing a point with my serve, it's impossible if you don't have control of your emotions,” Nadal told ATP World Tour’s official website. “That's something that, a couple of months ago, would have been impossible for me.”
Nadal’s victory over Raonic was his first against a top-10 opponent in six attempts. His victory booked him a quarterfinal matchup with Stan Wawrinka, who overcame a tough game with Marin Cilic 7-5 6-7(7) 6-4 .
Meanwhile, Djokovic also reached the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters after cruising past Feliciano Lopez of Spain with an easy 6-2 6-3 win. The 10-time Grand Slam winner, who received a bye into the second round of the tournament, earned his 14 th straight win since starting his bid at the US Open in August.
"You can't just expect to win all the time very comfortably, but I've been doing so for last week and a half," Djokovic said, reports ESPN. "Obviously it's giving me more confidence."
Djokovic will play the quarterfinal round against Australia’s Bernard Tomic, who defeated Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6(1) 6-4.
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