Rafael Nadal admits he didn't expect Rome SF against Reilly Opelka to be a "beautiful match", says he is "super happy" to be in the final

Rafael Nadal improved to a 12-0 record in semifinal matches at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Saturday, defeating Reilly Opelka in straight sets to reach the championship match. The Spaniard, who will be bidding for an unprecedented 10th title at the Foro Italico on Sunday, has played some fine tennis this week, subduing all of his opponents with his topspin-heavy forehand.

Rafael Nadal had seemed on his way out in the third round, but willed himself to stave off multiple match points against Denis Shapovalov. He caught fire after that, as he avenged his Madrid defeat to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. The nine-time Rome winner then turned in a comprehensive performance to break Opelka twice on Saturday en route to a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Speaking to the media after his win, Rafael Nadal asserted that it is always a tough prospect to play against players like Reilly Opelka. The Spaniard cited John Isner and Ivo Karlovic as players of a similar mold, but conceded that Opelka possesses impressive power not only on his serve but on his groundstrokes as well.

Rafael Nadal also admitted that he knew his early exchanges with Opelka would be tricky, and insisted that it was tough to make inroads against the big-serving American as he was in his element.

"Well, it's always a big challenge playing against these kind of players. Similar, [I've] played against Isner, Karlovic, probably a little bit different 'cause Reilly is able to play very well from the baseline too, no?" Rafael Nadal said.

"At the beginning of the match, he was hitting fantastic shots from the baseline. He put me in a very tough position at the beginning of the match, but you go on court knowing that it's not gonna be a beautiful match, no?"

El Toro is on his way to his 10th Rome final. 🐂World No. 3 @RafaelNadal joins @PrakashAmritraj to chat about his win over Reilly Opelka, a final with the winner of Djokovic/Sonego, and more.@DraftKings | #IBI21 pic.twitter.com/lg6G9Nev1E

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 15, 2021

Although Rafael Nadal struggled to get a solid grip over the match in the first few games, he eventually broke in the fifth game for a 4-2 lead. The Spaniard soon sealed the set 6-4 and subsequently broke early in the second set, never taking his foot off the pedal from that moment on.

But in his presser Nadal claimed that his win on Saturday was far from straightforward, and he even went as far as to suggest that he didn't feel great about his performance. The Spaniard then added that it was important for him to play with the right energy in such instances, even if he was not hitting the ball as well as he would've liked.

"Even if you are able to win, the feeling will not be great. So you need to be passionate, you need to play with the right energy and that's what I did no? I tried to not suffer much with my serve, and tried to produce some chances," Nadal said.

"Rome is one of the important places of my tennis career and one of the most historic tournaments in our tour" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in an all-time classic at Rome in 2006

Rafael Nadal was also probed about whether he had taken a moment to let the prospect of winning a 10th Rome title sink in. In reply, the Spaniard asserted that he would like to look back on his achievement after he has retired, and that vying for the big titles regularly gives him little time to celebrate his milestones.

"Hopefully after my career, I gonna have time to think about all of this. Of course I know all the things that I had been doing for such a long time, and especially doing this a couple of months on clay been amazing," Nadal said.

The Spaniard also lauded the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for its rich history, and claimed that Rome was a special city for him. The Spaniard has won some classic duels at the Foro Italico in the past, fending off his top claycourt rivals like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Guillermo Coria in high-quality championship matches.

"But yeah, super happy to be back in a final," Rafael Nadal said. "Here in Rome, is one of the important places of my tennis career and one of the most historic tournaments in our tour, no? So, it means a lot to me and I will try to play a solid match tomorrow."