"It's frustrating when you hit some good shots, and he still gets the balls back and wins those points in the end" - Botic van de Zandschulp after losing to Rafael Nadal in French Open 3R
Following his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the third round of the French Open on Friday, Botic van de Zandshulp said he was frustrated with the Spaniard's ability to retrieve everything thrown at him.
Playing in his first Roland Garros third-round match, van de Zandschulp expectedly came up short against the 13-time champion, losing 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
"It's frustrating when you hit some good shots, and he still gets the balls back and, yeah, wins there, wins those points in the end. So, yeah, it's tough when you play some good points and he still wins the point in the end," van de Zandschulp said.
van de Zandschulp elaborated on the challenge of playing Nadal, saying that the same point needs to be won six to seven times against the Spaniard.
"I think he plays differently from the other players. Ball is coming differently my way. Yeah, he still gives you like the feeling you have to win the point like a couple of times in the match. You have to win like six, seven times during the rally to have to win the point. That was pretty tough," van de Zandschulp added.
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🎙️ @RafaelNadal reflected on his upcoming #RolandGarros fourth round match against @felixtennis. 🇪🇸🤜🤛🇨🇦 https://t.co/sZEueX8v0l
Nadal's win over van de Zandschulp improved his record to 17-0 in third-round matches at the French Open. He will face Felix Auger-Aliassime next.
"I have to play a perfect game to make it even tough for him" - Botic van de Zandschulp on Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal was a man on a mission against van de Zandschulp. Making a rare appearance on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the Spaniard's serve was broken in the first game of the contest, but he soon kicked it into gear.
👀🇪🇸 https://t.co/pHcwFQYQfk
Nadal was imperious on serve, winning 40 of his 46 first-serve points, making it difficult for his Dutch opponent to make a comeback into the match.
The Dutchman said that playing a perfect game was the only way it he could even make things tough for the Spaniard. van de Zandschulp added that Nadal's movement and return of serve make him an incredibly tough opponent to beat.
"I have to play myself like a perfect game to make it even tough for him. Even when you go like hard to the floor, and he easily redirects it down the line, like he did a couple of times today. The moving of him is pretty well, and he makes so many balls. The return is, he plays the returns so high, so it's pretty tough to adjust to the first ball after the serve," he added.