The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rafael Nadal

  • Nadal defeats Ferrer to reach Barcelona Open quarter-final

    Defending champion Rafael Nadal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open with a straight sets win over his friend and compatriot David Ferrer on Thursday.

    Even though play on Pista Rafa Nadal was interrupted for 45 minutes due to rain, the top seed and world number two still went on to win 6-3 6-3.

    He took a 4-2 lead in the first set after his first break of the match.

    Ferrer held his next service game and Nadal had to wait for the rain to clear before serving successfully for the set.

    Nadal then broke his opponent in the first game of the second set.

    Ferrer broke back but, with two more breaks of serve, Nadal took the second set and the match.

    Earlier, Austrian world number three Dominic Thiem also made it to the quarter-finals by easing past Jaume Munar 7-5 6-1.

  • Fognini wins maiden Masters title in Monte Carlo

    Flamboyant Italian Fabio Fognini followed up his shock victory over Rafael Nadal with a 6-3 6-4 final win over Serbian Dusan Lajovic on Sunday.

    The win helped him to claim his maiden Masters title in Monte Carlo. The 31-year-old triumphed in spite of suffering from an apparent muscle problem to become the lowest seeded player, at 13, to claim the title since Gustavo Kuerten in 1999.

    Five weeks before the French Open kicks off at Roland Garros, Fognini produced some brilliant tennis on Monte Carlo’s red clay to snatch his ninth ATP singles title.

    “I was preparing for the match as best I can because he has my ex-coach (Jose Perlas) and I knew it was going to be really tough, a lot of running,” said Fognini.

    “It’s an incredible achievement. I’m really, really happy.”

    Lajovic, who had not lost a set this week before Sunday, did not have the weapons to counter Fognini’s tactical nous.

    “It was my first time in a final, so a great experience for me,” the Serbian said.

    “Today was not easy to play, with a lot of wind. But Fabio is a guy who knows how to play in these conditions. He has great hands.

    “He’s moving really well. So I was feeling on the court that I had to work much harder than him to win the points. I think this was the key.”

    Fognini made several unforced errors early on, allowing Lajovic to break in the third game.

    But the Serbian failed to capitalise as he dropped serve in the next game. Fognini won three games in a row and held off Lajovic to seal the opening set with a stunning backhand winner down the line.

    It was the first set Lajovic conceded in the tournament and the Serbian appeared quite shocked, dropping serve in the first game of the second set.

    After a brief fight back, Lajovic, who was also looking to win his first Masters title, was overwhelmed again and Fognini again broke to move 3-2 up.

    In the following game, the Italian had his right leg strapped by the trainer and Lajovic tried to make the rallies longer.

    But Fognini cleverly ended some of them with drop shots as he help serve for 4-2.

    He ended the contest on his second match point.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Nadal makes winning start in Monte Carlo

    Rafael Nadal produced a clay court masterclass to pick apart fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1 6-1, as the world number two began his Monte Carlo Masters title defence in stunning fashion on Wednesday.

    Playing his first match since injuring his knee at Indian Wells in March, Nadal showed no signs of rust as he raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set on Court Rainier III.

    Bautista Agut did get on the board but Nadal clinched the opening set and put his opponent under further pressure with another break of serve at the start of the second.

    There was no stopping Nadal who regularly moved Bautista Agut out of position, opening the court up effortlessly with powerful forehand combinations.

    After saving three break points at 2-1, Nadal displayed his clinical side at the net to secure a 4-1 advantage and went on to claim a convincing win.

    The 11-time Monte Carlo champion extended his winning streak to 16 matches at the tournament and will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

    “It was a great start, its good to be back here,” Nadal, the 17-times Grand Slam winner said.

    “I’ve had some great moments on this court, I really enjoy playing here.

    “It’s not easy to come back from injury. I had to do a lot of mental work as well to be prepared. I tried to play solid, dominate with my forehand when I had the chance.”

    German hotshot Alexander Zverev showed signs of a return to his explosive best in a 6-1 6-4 win over Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime.

    Third seed Zverev, who lives in Monte Carlo, reached the semi-finals of his ‘home’ event a year ago, but has endured a difficult 2019 season.

    After finishing runner-up to Australian Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco, Zverev has suffered early exits at Indian Wells, Miami and Marakech.

    “This is the first time this season I’ve felt really healthy,” said the 21-year-old.

    “I’ve been training well but haven’t been able to take that into matches.

    “I live just 500 metres from here. I’m comfortable on this court. I’m starting to feel better about my game. I’m really ready for the clay season.”

    In 2018 French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem won 20 of his 23 first-serve points in a commanding display to beat Slovakian Martin Klizan 6-1 6-4.

    Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also progressed, defeating Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 7-5.

  • Australia Open: Rafael Nadal hails ‘step forward’

    Nafael Nadal declared “everything is a step forward” after brutally brushing aside Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open yesterday in just the Spaniard’s third match since the US Open.

    The world number two was in ominous form as he continued his quest for an 18th Grand Slam by punishing the Australian teenager in a third-round tennis masterclass 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. “In general terms, everything is a step forward. So that’s positive news for me,” said the man who won at Melbourne Park back in 2009.

    “I’m very happy for the victory against someone who had won seven matches in a row, winning a tournament.”

    Nadal ruthlessly dragged the 19-year-old Australian 27th seed — who won last week’s Sydney International — over every inch of Rod Laver Arena as he romped to victory in two hours and 22 minutes.

    The Spaniard limped out of last year’s Australian Open at the quarter-final stage and ended his 2018 season after retiring in similar fashion from the US Open in September. He then had surgery on a foot injury and doubts remained when he pulled out of his Brisbane warm-up with a thigh niggle.

    But his fitness levels have grown with every outing in Melbourne and he was back to his barnstorming best as he hardly allowed his young rival a sniff.

    “I felt more dynamic with my movements tonight — every day a little bit better, in my opinion,” Nadal said.

    De Minaur, to his eternal credit, did little wrong and never gave up the fight. At fleeting moments he even had a glimmer of hope of applying the brakes to the runaway Nadal juggernaut when he held a rare break point in each of the first two sets.

  • Nadal lends hand in rainstorm cleanup

    THE Tennis superstar, Rafael Nadal assisted in the clean-up operation after a devastating flood hit his native island of Majorca, Spain overnight.

    At least nine people are believed to have died when torrential rainstorms deluged the town of Sant Llorenc, about 40 miles east of the capital, Palma.

    Nadal invited people affected by the severe storms to take shelter at his tennis academy in nearby Manacor and then donned wellington boots to join other volunteers in clearing away mud and water from affected areas.

    The website of Spanish newspaper AS posted pictures of the world number one offering assistance on his home island.

    “My sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased and injured by the severe floods in San Llorenc, it’s been a sad day in Majorca,” the 32-year-old Spaniard said on Twitter.

    World No 1 Nadal further stated that “as we did yesterday we offer today the facilities of @rnadalacademy for all those who need accommodation.’

    The storm was a devastating one as the Foreign Office said it was supporting the families of two British people killed in the floods.

    The deputy mayor of the town, Antonia Bauza, confirmed to Cadena SER radio that two others killed in the area were locals. The body of an elderly woman was found in the basement of her house.

  • U.S Open: How Nadal Survived 4-hour Slugfest against Thiem

    It was not an easy-run over 4-hours battle, but the defending champion isn’t done yet.

    Despite the inauspicious start, the world No. 1 Rafael Nadal had reason to smile after he survived an epic five-set slugfest with No. 9 Dominic Thiem.

    Nadal clinched a 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) quarterfinal victory at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, on Tuesday night.

    The win vaulted the Spaniard to 8-3 lifetime against Thiem after their first 10 meetings—including this year’s French Open final, which Rafa won in straight sets—came on clay.

    Nadal will now square off against No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals on Friday.

    Early on, though, Nadal didn’t look like he was going to have a chance to compete for a spot in consecutive U.S. Open finals.

    Thiem came out and flooded the court with booming backhands, and he made quick work of Nadal in an eye-opening 24-minute first set. Nadal won a grand total of seven points across six games in the opening stanza, and history suggested he was in big trouble:

    It also marked the fifth time in Nadal’s career that he posted a bagel in the first frame:

    Still, the shaky start didn’t bother him.

    Nadal rebounded to win the second and third sets, and he settled into a groove as the two traded powerful punches during epic baseline exchanges.

    The 17-time Grand Slam champion also won 16-of-21 points at the net during the second and third sets. By comparison, Thiem won five nets points during that same stretch.

    And yet, the 25-year-old refused to quit.

    Thiem battled back to win a daunting fourth-set tiebreak, and he survived triple-break point at 5-5 in the fifth set to keep his semifinal hopes alive:

    Nadal eventually squashed those aspirations, but Thiem had nothing to be ashamed of on a night when he actually tallied six more points (171-165) than the tournament’s top seed.

    “He’s a fighter,” Nadal said after the win, according to Metro‘s George Bellshaw. “He has a great attitude. A top person. I’m sorry for him but I’m sure he will have his chances in the future without a doubt.”

    While Thiem packs his bags, Nadal will prepare for a rematch of his 2017 U.S. Open semifinal win against del Potro. Nadal, who is 11-5 lifetime versus the Argentine, also defeated del Potro earlier this year at the French Open (straight sets) and Wimbledon (five sets).

  • Djokovic outlasts Nadal in classic Wimbledon semi-final

    Novak Djokovic reached his fifth Wimbledon final as he resisted everything Rafael Nadal could throw at him to win 6-4 3-6 7-6(9) 3-6 10-8 in a two-day classic that concluded in nerve-jangling tension on Saturday.

    Twelfth seed Djokovic resumed two sets to one ahead after snatching a third-set tiebreak the previous night before Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew left the match on a knife edge.

    As it was for the first three sets the Centre Court roof was closed and, again, the quality on display was sensational.

    Read Also: Djokovic gets back on track

    Nadal grabbed the fourth set to set up a monumental 91-minute decider that Djokovic clinched when Nadal fired a forehand wide.

    The match lasted five hours 15 minutes making it the second longest Wimbledon semi-final after the six hour 36 minute marathon won by South Africa’s Kevin Anderson against John Isner on Friday.

    NAN

  • Rafael Nadal in doubt for Wimbledon

    Rafael Nadal has cast doubt on his participation at Wimbledon, saying he needs to see how his body recovers after a long clay court campaign culminated in an 11th French Open title.

    Two of the Spaniard’s 17 Grand Slam titles came on the All England Club’s lawns, but the 32-year-old has struggled to make an impact there in recent years.

    ‘Difficult for me to think about it now. I had a long and mentally tough clay court season, of course, because I played almost all the matches possible after coming from an injury. So it was a demanding two months for me,’ Nadal told reporters after his 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Dominic Thiem in Paris.

    Nadal, who also won the titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome this year, is entered for the Queen’s Club warm-up tournament starting next week but says he will consult with his team, including Coach Carlos Moya, over the next few days.

    ‘I would love to play in as many places as possible, but you understand I need to check how I feel in the next couple of days,’ Nadal said.

    ‘Of course, it’s a drastic change from clay to grass. I did it in the past when I was much younger, quicker because I played back to back.’

    Nadal spent several months away from the tour after sustaining an injury at this year’s Australian Open and could, like Roger Federer, decide that his long-term interests are best-served by sparing his body further punishment.

    It is common knowledge that the lower-bouncing ball on grass puts extra strain on the knees that have bothered him at times throughout his career.

    Yet Nadal also knows he could be a threat after playing impressively last year before falling in the last 16, losing a classic tussle against Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller.

    ‘Last year I felt that I had a good opportunity to go far in the tournament. I felt myself playing well on grass last year,’ the Spaniard said.

  • Nadal – The King of Clay- Wins 11th French Open Title

    Tennis Super Star Rafael Nadal has again proved his mantle as the King of Clay.

    It was clay-court tennis as usual at Roland Garros on Sunday, as the Spaniard won his 11th French Open singles title.

    Nadal, 32, has won six major titles on grass and hardcourts, but clay is his natural element, like water for Michael Phelps or snow for Marcel Hirscher.

    “I think today I played my best match of the tournament,” Nadal said. “It was very important. Dominic is an opponent who is very aggressive, very difficult to play, with big shots.”

    Thiem’s best results also have come on clay. He lost in the semifinals in the last two years and has been the second best clay-court player in the world during that time.

    But he could not match Nadal’s point-by-point consistency and intensity on Sunday.

    Nadal’s 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 victory at age 32 was a tribute to his enduring excellence and drive, and to his continuing ability to bounce back.

    Nadal has never lost a best-of-five match on clay after winning the first set, and Thiem was unable to change that equation.

  • Nadal back from injury for Davis Cup quarter-finals

     World number two Rafael Nadal has been named in Spain’s squad for their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final against Germany in Valencia next month.

    The 31-year-old has not played in the competition since helping five-time winners Spain return to the top tier of world tennis with victory in India in 2016.

    Nadal was named in Captain Sergi Bruguera’s team alongside Pablo Busta, Bautista Agut, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez.

    Read Also: Injured Rafael Nadal retires in fifth set

    Nadal, 16-times Grand Slam champion, withdrew from the Australian Open in January after reaching the last eight due to an upper quad problem.

    He had been expected to return at the Mexican Open at the end of February, but missed his fifth tournament in a row.

    The Davis Cup quarter-finals take place over the weekend of April 6 to April 8.

    NAN