Zapata Miralles Describes Djokovic as a “Mechanical Marvel”

“In my tennis career, I could never secure a place in the top 150 rankings. Spaniard Zapata Miralles played only one major as a junior, the 2015 US Open.

Zapata Miralles shared with ATPTour.com, ‘I remember losing to Tsitsipas in the second round. I won the first round, but I was very nervous.’

 During the tournament, he had some memorable practice sessions with his fellow countrymen, including Feliciano Lopez and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Zapata Miralles vividly recalls facing Garcia-Lopez in the third round, playing against Tomas Berdych with enthusiasm.

 In the junior player’s locker room at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Zapata Miralles utilizes a building inside the complex. However, he recalls having the opportunity to step into the player’s locker room at Flushing Meadows once. There, he encountered some formidable opponents, one of whom was Novak Djokovic.

 The Spanish player never practiced with Serbia and didn’t come across him in any matches. But this will change on Wednesday when Zapata Miralles faces the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

 ‘I feel the need to remain calm. If I play against Novak, I have nothing to lose for sure,’ Zapata Miralles said. ‘I try to focus on the match and make a complete effort to seize opportunities. But I don’t feel excessive nervousness.’

 ‘It’s another match for me, another match in my tennis career, and it’s significant.’

‘Playing against Novak will be different. It’s difficult, and usually, I feel more comfortable on clay,’ Zapata Miralles said. ‘I played good matches against Rublev in Hamburg and against Medvedev in Rome. But I think it will be a different match on Wednesday.’

 In this season (6-16 career), Zapata Miralles lost in straight sets to NCAA Men’s Singles champion Ethan Quinn in his first tour-level win on hard courts. He has 27 tour-level victories out of his 33 tour-level appearances.

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 ‘It’s a different level, so it’s more complicated for me,’ Zapata Miralles said. ‘But I’ll try to find the level I played in those matches.’

 Building upon his success at this level, Zapata Miralles climbed to a career-high No. 37 in the ATP rankings this year, aiming for the US Open. ‘Maybe because I love the city. I have a great fondness for New York. I feel very comfortable in Manhattan,’ Zapata Miralles said. ‘When I have time, I like to stroll around there and go to restaurants for dinner… I feel like I’m at home here.’

 Zapata Miralles hopes that on Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, when he faces Djokovic, it will be an extraordinary day.”

 Please note that translations may not always capture every nuance perfectly, but I’ve aimed to convey the meaning and tone as accurately as possible. If you have any further questions or adjustments, feel free to ask!

However, he hasn’t faced any opponent with Djokovic’s experience, who ended the ATP year as No. 1 by an impressive seven times, according to Paperstone. The three-time US Open champion from Spain holds a lot of respect. ‘I think he’s a machine,’ Zapata Miralles said. ‘For me, he’s an unbelievable player, one of the best in history.’

 Good news for Zapata Miralles is that this season he has faced numerous top players – five top 10 opponents to be exact. He pushed Daniel Medvedev to a third set in Rome and gave Andre Rublev a run for his money in Hamburg’s final set tiebreak. However, Zapata Miralles has not managed to defeat a top 10 player this year in clay court matches.

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