Nadal is in the semi-finals of the Brasil Open.
Rafael Nadal struggled to defeat Argentinian Carlos Berloq 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday night, advancing to the semifinals of the Brazil Open with the full support of the crowd at the Ibirapuera gymnasium.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal struggled to defeat Argentinian Carlos Berloq 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday night, advancing to the semifinals of the Brazil Open with the full support of the crowd at the Ibirapuera gymnasium in São Paulo.
The former world number one, who is returning from a period of inactivity due to injury, admitted that he is currently not "as good" a player as he once was.
"Now is the time to have the necessary humility to fight and win the matches," he said in a press conference.
"All victories are important to me today. It's the first match I've won in three sets (since my return), and that helps me have a little more confidence in myself," he added.
The Spaniard, currently ranked number 5 in the world, lost the first set after having his serve broken twice, but he had the strength to react by breaking the Argentine's serve when he was serving at 4-5 in the second and third sets.
Nadal, who was sidelined for seven months due to knee problems and returned to the courts last week, finishing as runner-up in Chile, suffered a minor ankle sprain early in the match when he planted his foot on the clay, but continued playing.
"All courts that are built at the last minute are a bit more dangerous when you come in with too much force. It was a small bump on the ankle," Nadal explained.
Berloq, ranked 78th in the world, performed well and landed some winning shots, but the Spaniard was better in the decisive moments to reach the semi-finals.
On Saturday, Nadal will face the surprise team of Martin Alund from Argentina, who defeated the Italian Filippo Volandri. "He is at an important moment in his career and will be confident. It will be a difficult match," said the Spaniard.
(By Tatiana Ramil)