Rafael Nadal is on a mission to win another major title and setup a dream final round battle with career rival Roger Federer, but must win over Grigor Dimitrov first in the semifinal stage of the Australian Open 2017 in Melbourne.
Nadal has proven he still has what it takes to win in the big stages as the 14-time Grand Slam winner continues his impressive run at the Australian Open. With the top players like Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic out of the competition, Nadal capitalized at the opportunity to reach closer to his 15th major title after defeating Canada's Milos Raonic, 6-4 7-6(7) 5-4 in their quarterfinals battle.
"I am not a very arrogant person, so I always have doubts," Nadal said, reports AusOpen.com. "Is normal, even when I was winning. That's good. When you have doubts you are ready to work more."
There were plenty of doubts about Rafa playing at a high level again, especially coming off an injury that halted his French Open title run. Now injury-free, Nadal is just a win away from reaching his first finals appearance since winning Roland Garros in 2014, but may have to be cautious against Dimitrov, who cruised past David Goffin 6-3 6-2 6-4 to move into the semifinal round.
Nadal leads Dimitrov by 7-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup, but it was the 25-year-old Bulgarian who won their most recent meeting in last year's China Open. But Nadal is in great shape and probably closest as he can get to his old elite form, which may prove too much for Dimitrov.
Nadal could relive his rivalry with Federer if the Mallorcan gets past Dimitrov in their semifinal clash. The last time Nadal faced Federer in a Tour-level match was in 2015 at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where Roger defeated Rafa in the final round.
"Now I have a very tough match against Dimitrov. On the other side of the draw, I think it is great for tennis that Roger is there again after an injury, after a lot of people talk about always the same things, that probably he will never be back," Nadal said, reports the ATP's official website.
"The real thing is that he's back and he's probably ready to win again, fighting again to win a major. That's the real thing, and that's good for the fans because Roger is a legend of our sport. I am happy to be there, too. I am focused on my semi-final."
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Australian Open 2017 Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov live via AusOpen.com or Watch ESPN. Live scores will be available during game days at the Australian Open's official website.