Rafa relishing another showdown with Roger
IF the tennis gods have their way, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will be stepping out for a semi-final showdown a week on Friday for their first ever battle at the US Open.
After 37 meetings all over the world, including in the final of each of the other three grand slams, a US Open clash would complete the set.
It is a contest Wimbledon champion Federer, who beat Nadal to win the Australian Open in January, would relish, having also beaten his longtime rival in Indian Wells and Miami this year.
But Nadal (pictured), who regained the world number one ranking this month to be the top seed in New York, is focused on the bigger picture.
“I prefer to play against another one,” Nadal told a news conference at Flushing Meadows on Saturday. “Is obvious, no? I am not that way. It sounds very good, but the real thing (is) I prefer to play against another player, an easier one if it’s possible.
“I know you want to hear the other way – that I would love to play with him. No, of course I understand that it is going to be great for our history.
“It is true that we played in all (the other) grand slam finals. We never played here and for sure this year we are not going to play in finals.
“Meeting him here in the semi-finals, if that happens that will be something great and amazing, but as I say before, we made a lot (of history).”
Nadal is back as world number one for the first time since 2014, having won his 10th French Open title in June.
A couple of underwhelming performances in the two Masters 1000 events this summer has not affected his confidence and he is hopeful of a third US Open title, his first since 2013.
“It’s good to be number one of the world again, of course,” he said. “I think it’s a good achievement after three years having some troubles. So, just happy for that.
“For the moment I am very happy the way that I played during the whole season. I enjoyed almost every event that I played.”
Federer, on the other hand, says he would love a big match against Nadal at the US Open for the first time.
“We never played here in New York so I think that would be fun for everybody involved,” he said. “But there are about 60 players between us who don’t want it.
“I’d love to play Rafa here in New York. Hopefully it will be a night session. Hopefully that would be a great atmosphere and one again where we play great like at the Australian Open.”
Nadal leads Federer 24-13 overall and 9-3 in grand slams but has lost their last four meetings.
US Open hopeful Simona Halep said she was not surprised to learn that she drew a tough first-round match-up against former world number one Maria Sharapova since such luck has become the norm for the tournament’s number two seed.
The match will mark Sharapova’s first major tournament appearance since serving a 15-month doping suspension.
The powerful Russian has defeated Halep in all six of their previous meetings.
“My reaction was normal because this year I had very tough draws every time, almost,” the 25-year-old Romanian told reporters on Saturday.
“Of course I was a little bit like, how is this possible again? First round of a grand slam. But... I did my practice normal. I didn’t have, like, something emotional.”
It has been a trying year for the world No 2, who has been frustratingly close to assuming top spot from Karolina Pliskova but has been unable to seal the deal.
She suffered a surprising first-round loss to American Shelby Rogers at the Australian Open, where she had to be treated between sets for a knee injury.
She lost the French Open in heartbreaking fashion when the unseeded Jelena Ostapenko came from behind to claim the title.
And she was also up a set on Johanna Konta before the Brit staged a comeback and ousted her in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in July.