Rafael Nadal isn’t frustrated by his scratchy start to this US Open.

The world No. 1 did not play pristine tennis Thursday night, but still had too much for Taro Daniel, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

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Aiming to clean up his act for his third-round match against Leonardo Mayer, Nadal has a simple strategy: Hit like the ball is going in.

“I hit around 40 winners. That's not bad number,” Nadal said. “But 35 unforced errors, that's a bad number for me. I need to fix that. I need to improve that.

“I need to play with the feeling that when I hitting the ball, I don't going to miss and with high intensity. That is the way I need to play if I want to have chances of success here. I (am) going to work to make that happen.”

The two-time US Open champion cannot face a seeded opponent until a potential quarterfinal clash with either ninth-seeded David Goffin or 18th-seeded Gael Monfils.

“I don't feel fatigue. I feel positive,” Nadal said. “I feel hungry to keep playing. I'm excited for being here. Not tired at all. Is the last big, big event of the year.

“I want to try all the things that are in my hands to give me a chance. That's what I am doing: working with the right intensity, with the right attitude, then in the match trying to do the same.”

Photo credit: @USOpen