NADAL TO UP AGGRO IN FINALS
TOP seed Rafael Nadal has vowed to take his trademark aggression to another level, starting with today’s quarterfinal against Marin Cilic.
While pleased with his performances during the first week of the Australian Open, the Spaniard said he had plenty of room for improvement.
“It is the second week and the quarter-finals already,” Nadal said.
“Now is the moment to make a step forward, to play again more aggressive.
“I know I have a tough opponent in front now.
“I need to play aggressive and play well. That’s what I’m going to try and do.”
Nadal is coming off a fourset win over No.24 seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.
The world No.1 is bracing for another battle against a player he has a 5-1 head-tohead winning record over.
“All the matches are tough, and if you are in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, you can’t expect an easy match,” Nadal said.
“Against Marin will be a tough one, but at the same time, (it) is a beautiful match to play against a great player. “We know each other. ‘‘We played a couple of times already.
“And, yeah, I know I need to play well. That’s the real thing. I know I need to play well.’’
When asked if he felt like he was flying under the radar at Melbourne Park this week, Cilic replied: “I don’t know.”