Davis Cup quarterfinals: Spain suffers 1-2 loss against Netherlands as Nadal retires
Although Nadal fought hard against the Dutch in the opening set, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was unable to stop the 29-year-old from winning the first set
Spanish Tennis veteran Rafael Nadal marched his way to the fourth round of the US Open after he eased past his South Korean opponent Hyeon Chung 6-3, 6-4 and 6-2.
The three-time US Open Champion was in a good physical state since he did not have to sweat it out in the second round as he was given a walkover after his scheduled opponent in the second round, Thanasi Kokkinakis, took his name out of the competition owing to a shoulder injury.
On the other hand, Chung was coming into this encounter on the back of a five-set hard-fought win against Fernando Verdasco in a match which had lasted over three hours and 20 minutes.
Advertisement
On Saturday, however, Nadal won the first set effortlessly in just 41 minutes and although his 23-year-old Korean opponent did improve in the second and the third set, Nadal overwhelmed him with his superb serves and flawless shot-making.
“When (Chung) is healthy, he showed how good he is to everyone. He’s had injuries and, from my personal experience, I know how tough it is to be injured,” Nadal said of his opponent during his on-court interview.
“It’s a great event for him and I wish him a healthy career. That’s the most important thing.”
“I’d like to play everywhere, but I’m not 25 anymore,” he added.
Nadal will be up against Croat Marin Cilic in the next round of the competition.
Advertisement
