Rafael Nadal will resume his quest in the 2014 China Open when he collides with Martin Klizan in the quarterfinals on Friday at the National Tennis Stadium in Beijing.
Nadal booked a quarterfinal spot after scoring a 6-4, 6-0 win against Richard Gasquet in the first round and a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Peter Gojowczyk in the second round of the tournament.
Nadal is coming off a two-month layoff after sustaining a wrist injury following his fourth round exit at the 2014 Wimbledon in June. The 14-time Grand Slam champion is performing well in his return, but he admitted that he has yet to regain his confidence and rhythm.
"It is normal after a period of time without competing, only having one match before, normal that you feel a little bit the nervous, the pressure in that moment, because you need matches to be in rhythm, to be confident in what you do in these moments," Nadal said via the China Open 2014 official website.
Aside from his confidence, Nadal is concerned about the ball that they are using in the tournament, fearing that the continuous change could lead to injuries.
"The ball is so bad here," Nadal said via Sky Sports. "If you throw the ball on the floor, the bounce goes everywhere. Is not a question of winning or losing. I won in Rio with this ball. I won tournaments with this ball. It's just that we're competing at the top level of our sport, tennis, and the ball is an important thing."
Meanwhile, top-seeded Novak Djokovic will also see action on Friday against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the quarterfinal.
Djokovic, the current top-ranked player in the world, is looking to win his fifth China Open title. Things will not be easy, though, but the Serb is determined to win the tournament again.
"That gives me plenty of motivation," Djokovic said of winning his fifth title. "It would mean a lot to me. That's why I'm out here in Beijing and Shanghai, competing and trying to get that year-end No. 1."
Maria Sharapova will also look to book a spot in the semifinal when she goes up against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinal. The Russia star is coming off a 6-1, 7-6 (3) win against Carla Suarez-Navarro in the third round.
Complete China Open 2014 schedule can be seen on this link.
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