Rafael Nadal sat in an interview room late Friday night deflecting questions about how impressive his form had been at the United States Open.
Questioners wanted to know how confident he was about his chances. Some difficult potential opponents, like Milos Raonic, were already wiped out of his side of the draw, and it appeared his biggest challenge might not come until the semifinal round, possibly against Novak Djokovic.
It was even noted that Nadal, a two-time champion at the United States Open, had never lost fewer games on his way to the fourth round than he had this year.