Rafael Nadal admitted he has been surprised by his stellar performances at the Australian Open as he prepares for his bid to reach the last four in pursuit of a record 21st Grand Slam title.
Earlier this month, Nadal returned to action on the ATP Tour for the first time since early August, when the legendary Spaniard announced he was prematurely ending his 2021 season to rehabilitate his injured left foot. As a result, his world ranking dropped to six.
The 35-year-old has found his best form in Australia, winning the warm-up Summer Set event in Melbourne earlier this month, before defeating Marcos Giron, Yannick Hanfmann, Karen Khachanov and Adrian Mannarino in the first four rounds of the Australian Open.