"He's one of the toughest opponents on tour" - Nadal praises Opelka after win

The 35-year-old soaked up Opelka’s brand of ‘Big Man’ tennis and rallied from a break down in the second set to eventually advance after two hours and 11 minutes.

It was not an easy win for Nadal gainst Opelka whom he has now defeated twice in their careers. The Spaniard won in those close tiebreak weathering a 2-4, 15-40 deficit in the 2nd set. Speaking after the match he said:

“He is one of the toughest opponents on Tour. It is very tough to control his weapons with his serve and forehand. I think I played my best match of the tournament so far today. I am very pleased with how I was able to win the match, with two difficult tie-breaks. This victory means a lot to me.”

Turning attention to his own game and level, Nadal said:

“I think I played well. It is difficult because you need to find the right balance. When you are playing points from the baseline you think you can’t miss because you won’t have a lot of opportunities. So you need to find the balance to not allow him to come in and not taking big risks.”

Next up is Nick Kyrgios and on that, Nadal said:

“Nick is playing great. He is one of the toughest opponents on Tour. Everyone knows how good he is when he is motivated. It is going to be a good test for me and good challenge. I am excited to be in the quarter-finals.”