Verdasco eyes Madrid boost

 

Originally published on: 07/05/13 00:00

The world No.46 has struggled for form this year, winning only one match since the Australian Open before he arrived in the Spanish capital.

However, after cruising past David Goffin 7-6(2) 6-2 in the first round, Verdasco, who has been ranked as high as No.7 in the ATP rankings, is hoping the motivation of playing in front of his home crowd will inspire him.

“What I focus on is trying to work as hard as possible,” Verdasco said. “The confidence comes back when you work harder than you normally do.

“If you normally push it up to 100 per cent, well, I have to push it to 200 per cent.  That's the way it is when you're in a bad season.  It seems all the things are against you. 

“The fact of playing here in Madrid also helps; the extra motivation that Madrid was going to be my next tournament. Perhaps that made me train even harder, at a higher level. I think that I'm well prepared to at least be competitive this week.”

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