The 24-year-old Lloyd Harris defeats Rafael Nadal at the Citi Open quarter-finals.
Washington, United States of America (06 August 2021) – “Today was really special. I’ve had some big wins, and I’ve beaten some Grand Slam champions, but to beat a 20-time Grand Slam champion in front of a full crowd with such an amazing atmosphere.”
This is the 24-year-old South African tennis great Lloyd Harris reflecting on his famous win over the Spanish left-hander Rafael Nadal.
The 35-year-old Nadal lost to Harris 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in a third-round match at the Citi Open semi-finals. There was no Citi Open last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was definitely something very special. I would definitely put it up there (as the best) for sure,” Harris says.
Nadal overcame a gnawing foot injury on Wednesday evening to beat American professional tennis player Jack Sock in a final-set tie-break in front of a crowd. But he didn’t allow the top jock to work his magic again.
The injury did not impact Nadal’s fighting spirit.
Harris says it was a good, quality match:
“It was not easy for me out there. It was pretty physical, but all in all, I’m just super happy with how everything turned out.”
Harris is the first player to win his first match against Nadal since 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov upset the Spaniard in 2017.
The most important thing on Nadal’s upcoming schedule is the US Open, which begins on August 30.
Lloyd Harris reflects on his famous win:
"Today was really special. I've had some big wins and I've beaten some Grand Slam champions, but to beat a 20-time Grand Slam champion in front of a full crowd with such an amazing atmosphere, it was definitely something very special." pic.twitter.com/GOskL5c1Ag
— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) August 6, 2021
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