Rafael Nadal: “I Am No King From Nowhere”

A rested Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round of the US Open 2019 with a business-like 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over the South Korean qualifier Chung Hyeon on Saturday.

The world No.2 who put on the purple color jersey during his third-round match was asked in the on-court interview that purple is the color of royalty and everyone knows that he is the king of clay, so is it possible that people will start seeing him as the king of hardcourt as he is playing a bit more aggressive.

However, the 12-time French Open champion explained that he is not a king of any surface. He said, “I am not king from nowhere. I just like this color. I think it’s a happy color.”

He further continued, “I even didn’t know that this is a royal color at all when I choose it. But, you know it’s good to play black on the night session and on the day session with some more bright colors.”

The Mallorcan also revealed that he choose his jersey color well in advance. He said, “It took me a lot of hours to pick this color. No, I am joking. The thing is we choose the colors but we choose for one year and a half in advance. So when the tournament arrives, I already forget about what I choose.”

The 33-year-old also divulged that he likes to play in bright colors. “The thing is there’s plenty of colors during the year. We try to play with colors. I like happy colors, normally. But here, with night sessions, it’s black. That’s the only place in the world that I play black. And during the day, as always, I try to play with the colors that I feel energetic.”

Rafael Nadal has been hampered with knee injuries throughout his career, especially on the hardcourt. However, the 3-time US Open champion did not wear his usual tape on his legs during the match on Saturday.

“Tape is not working anymore. I am happy to be playing on hard courts and I am trying to play a little more aggressive,” Rafael Nadal said with a smile during his on-court interview.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion will face the 22 seed Marin Cilic in the round of 16 the US Open 2019 on Monday.