"I suffered a little bit but it's normal" says Nadal after hard-fought win over Sock

A late-night match in Washington was on the menu for Rafael Nadal and the Spaniard passed the test. The opponent was not an easy one in Jack Sock who is slowly finding his way around the tour once more. The crowd was electric and the match was great especially in the 3rd set which was a very close one ending in a tiebreak.

After the match Nadal said:

“It was a tough match and I managed to find a way at the end. Sorry for Jack. The energy here in Washington has been unforgettable after such a tough year and a half."

Nadal admitted playing a 3-setter after such a long time was not easy calling it 'suffering' but he also said it was normal:

"Getting to play in front of these great people is just fantastic. I enjoyed it, I suffered a little bit but it's normal. I hope to be ready for tomorrow.”

Nadal was asked about playing in front of a full crowd again which he called fantastic:

“Well, it felt fantastic. For these kinds of things, we still play. Of course, for us playing without a crowd is the least important thing that we are facing in the last year and a half [with] a lot of people dying, a lot of people suffering. Still, this fire is still there… At least we're able to play with some crowd so that makes a difference for us and that gives us some positive vibes to keep going.”