"Playing Nadal was beyond belief" - Maxime Cressy on facing Nadal

Maxime Cress played his maiden final earlier this year in Melbourne where he lost to Rafael Nadal and it was a surreal experience for him.

Cressy is enjoying a major breakout season that he announced earlier this year in Melbourne by reaching his maiden final. He would go on to play Nadal in it and lose but it was a valuable experience for the American who would play two more finals this year after that. One of them was in Newport a few days ago and he was able to win his maiden trophy there.

Remembering the Nadal match, Cressy said:

"Those matches were also nerve-wracking, just like today. Playing Nadal was beyond belief; it was more like, ‘Is it actually happening?’ I think that was one reason I wasn’t able to beat him. Against Fritz, it was close margins as well."

The win will allow Cressy to be a seed at the US Open where he played rather well last year. It all started against Nadal in Australia and the trophy in Newport was a huge moment for him:

"As everyone says, the third time is the charm. It’s a big step forward for me, because I don’t think I’m going to be as nervous for the next finals that may come. The first title is definitely the most difficult one."