Rafael Nadal took exception to a reporter’s question after he was asked whether he would have come out on top of Diego Schwartzman in their US Open quarter final if both players were the same height.
The Spaniard beat the Schwartzman 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in a fairly routine win as Nadal made it to yet another Grand Slam semi-final.
The Argentine, however, stands on the short side for a tennis player at just 5ft 7.
Nadal, meanwhile, is 6ft 1, and is one of the most dominant tennis players in the sport’s history.
The reporter asked Nadal after the match: “You’re one of the greatest players to ever play the game of tennis. If you were his size, who would have won that match?”
But Nadal had a problem with the word “if”, noting that he only liked answering questions that were based on reality.
“The problem is ‘if’,” Nadal said. “‘If’ don’t exist in this world.
“The word ‘if’ is very dangerous, because if I was his size, maybe I will adapt my game to that size.
“If he was my size, he will adapt the game to this size.
“So I always try to speak in real terms, and he’s one of the best players of the world.
“When he’s playing well, he’s able to win against everybody.
“Tonight was for me. Tough match. I’m very happy for the victory.”
Nadal takes on Italian Matteo Berrettini in his semi-final clash on Arthur Ashe on Friday evening.
If he is victorious, the 18-time Grand Slam winner will move onto the final where he will meet Daniil Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov.