http://www.atptennis.com/auckland/NewsStories/friday_review.asp
Nadal Reaches First ATP Final (節錄)
Second seed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic was complimentary about the man who
eliminated him in the semifinal of the Heineken Open in Auckland - Rafael Nadal
of Spain.
The young left-handed Spaniard had spanked the former champion 6-1 6-3, and the
list of players to humiliate the big Czech is a very short one, more or less a
list of marquis players only.
Novak's praise concurred. "This is the first time that I have played him, but I
think it is obvious that he will become one of the best players in the world."
Nadal expects a lot from himself, and was not claiming this as a big win. "I
think I played better against Schalken (round one, 7-6 6-4), but I think
Schalken played better than Novak."
"Novak didn't play well, but I played a very good match. Novak looked a bit
tired to me. He didn't look so sharp," he said.
"I tried to be aggressive and dominate the rallies. I started a bit slow, a
bit defensive in the first game. At the beginning, I was probably a little bit
tired but I loosened up a bit.
Nadal's previous best result was on clay at Umag where he reached the semis.
"I'm very happy to be in my first final. It's a very good tournament, the best
week of my career so far."
Novak is known as a tough man in three sets, never beaten just because he loses
the first set. His intelligence often allows him to find vulnerabilities, but
the teenager had none.
"He was playing today very well and he was dominating on the court form the
beginning of the match. I didn't get my rhythm, it was pretty windy today. I
wasn't playing that good like a few days ago against the other top opponents.
"I was trying to come to the net a couple of times, but he was everywhere,
running very fast. He was playing very fast and I was pretty late on each ball.
He was just better. He did surprise me, because I just saw him for the first
time. He is the new future generation. He is about 12 years younger than me. I
think he is going to be one of the best players in the world," said Novak.
Nadal will be a name to watch in Melbourne, irrespective of today's result,
and retailers would be wise to stock up on muscle-shirts and silver shoes.
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