After a sloppy win last night over Andrey Golubev in the US Open first round, Rafael Nadal addressed concerns over the two fingers he burnt on his right hand during the Western and Southern two weeks ago.
“The fingers are much better,” Nadal said. “Is not hundred percent okay, but are much better. So the problem is not the blisters right now. I am happy how I hit the backhand. Is just the problem of position to hit the backhand more inside the court, to play the backhand with a little bit more confidence, because I was doing really well during the previous week. Hopefully for next match I will do it much better. That’s the way.”
Nadal who won the match 63, 76, 75, was broken five times by the go-for-broke Russian.
“The people forgets a lot of things, but last year my first match was really bad,” added Nadal. “That’s the true, even if I didn’t lose my serve, but I played bad against a similar opponent than today. He played very fast. Was different situation, but is very difficult to start one tournament playing very well from beginning. I am not saying that I will play fantastic next days, but I am confident that I can do it better.”
Nadal, who is defending his US Open title from last year, will play Frenchman Nicolas Mahut tomorrow.
You Might Like:
Rafael Nadal: I Am Not Happy About How I Played Novak This Year
Rafael Nadal Says “No Thanks, Bad Memories” on Returning to Restaurant Where he Burnt his Fingers
Rafael Nadal Wet Himself During His Win Last Night Over Stepanek At Indian Wells [Video]
Rafael Nadal Reportedly Cut His Finger While Cutting Bread Today
Nalbandian Wins in Return