Nadal breaks McEnroe’s record to reach Madrid quarters

MADRID (Reuters): World number one Rafa Nadal set a new record of winning 50 consecutive sets on a single surface by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals.

The Mallorcan surpassed John McEnroe’s previous record of 49 consecutive sets on carpet which had stood since 1984 by seeing off 13th seed Schwartzman and claiming a 21st consecutive win on clay.

Nadal will face Austrian Dominic Thiem in the last eight on Friday in pursuit of a sixth Madrid Open title after beginning the claycourt season by winning an 11th Monte Carlo Masters and lifting the Barcelona Open trophy for the 11th time.

Nadal said he was unaware of the record.

“These moments I don’t go out there and think about these kind of things. I just think about my opponent, what I have to do to keep on going. That’s all,” Nadal told a news conference.

“When my career is over, these are things that are going to be there for always. They are big records. It’s difficult to be able to win 50 sets in a row. But I’ve done it. Let’s not talk about that anymore and let’s continue on what we have ahead.”