How did you feel at the end of the game?
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I felt like the world had stopped spinning.
I didn't hear anything for a minute.
I don't even remember what I said to him as I shook his hand.
Everything was scrambled.
I started to cry, I could barely see him, him like my team.
They were all up, it was crazy.
My heart was going 1000 an hour... I had never felt anything like this in my life.
What are you happiest about: beating Nadal or the prospect of playing in a Grand Slam quarter-final?
Both.
We see all these young people falling on Rafa, Fed, Novak.
I wondered if I too would one day have the opportunity to beat one.
And today, I told myself that I was going to do it.
Now I have something to tell my children, my grandchildren: I beat Rafa!
I hope never to play against him again, but if that happens, I hope to win (laughs).
Read alsoUS Open: "I need to go home", blows Nadal eliminated in 8th by Tiafoe
What did you think about before this game?
The two times I played against him before, he broke me very early in each set.
So I told myself that if I managed to hold my serve, 1 everywhere, 2 everywhere, 3 everywhere, then we start to feel good, we play, we are in the game.
These guys are so good when they race in front, that I never took a chance in our first two meetings.
That's what I thought.
The night before the game, I was fine.
I simply watched TV: I watched Nick (Kyrgios) put on the show (against Medvedev, editor's note).
And this morning, I woke up saying to myself + My God, it's early!
I am tired+.
I like to play later.
But I didn't think about the game at all.
Otherwise, I felt very relaxed.
And when I was really wide awake, I just wanted to win my game.
I said to myself: + Opposite, there will be Rafa +.
The last three years I lost in the round of 16, I wanted to do better.
That's what I was focused on.