"I need to return better" - Nadal ahead of Zverev clash at Paris Masters

Rafael Nadal is getting closer to winning his first title at the 2020 Paris Masters as he defeated compatriot Pablo Carreno-Busta in the quarterfinals and is to face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

The experienced Spaniard played 3 matches at this year's Paris Masters and was 0-1 down twice against two countrymen Feliciano Lopez and Pablo Carreno-Busta. However, in both cases, he managed to come back and is now to face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. The last time they met, the young German defeated Nadal at the 2019 ATP Finals.

"I have to give him a lot of credit that he did a lot of things very well, played very aggressively," Nadal said of Carreno Busta. "I need to return better. My serve is working well, I think, so the rest of the game more or less I am playing better and better. I need to return better if I want to have chances to keep going."

"He started playing well. The problem was he was winning his serves too comfortably," Nadal said. "I was not able to return well enough, to create problems [for] him," Nadal said. "When you feel that you are not suffering on your serve, you are able to play with more freedom, more relaxed on the returns, play more aggressively, and I think that was the problem tonight."