2011 Mutua Madrid Open: Rafael Nadal vs. Michael Llodra – Quarterfinal Preview
All eyes fixed upon the Friday’s quarterfinal matchup, as the world number one, Rafael Nadal of Spain faces the 27th ranked Michael Llodra of France at the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open. The contest will be played at the Park
Manzanares in Madrid, Spain and the top seed will be battling against Llodra for a place in the semis of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 1000 event.
The ‘Master of Clay Courts’, Nadal is reckoned to be the most devastating force on clay courts and is currently running a 35-match winning streak on red surface. He had an astounding beginning at the Madrid Open, defeating the
former world number eight, Marcos Baghdatis in the second round but received a walkover through to the quarter-finals when his Argentine opponent, Juan Martin Del Potro, forfeited the contest in his favour. The world number one is the strongest contender for
the Madrid Open title and is well on course of winning it.
The French opponent has made his way through to the quarter-finals of the ATP tournament, toiling through his initial round matches. He defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4), in the third round clash to book
a date with Nadal in the quarter-finals. It is the first time in his career that Llodra is facing Nadal in a singles matchup and less can be said as if how he will tackle the pressure of competing against the top ranked player on his favourite surface. Nadal
is said to be invincible on the clay court and Llodra needs to come up with something extraordinary against the Spaniard if he desires any success.
The top seeded Spaniard has already won 30 matches in the running ATP season, suffering just two defeats in the process. He had an excellent start to the European clay-court season, winning two tournaments in a row. Nadal bagged
the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters by defeating his fellow compatriot, the world number six, David Ferrer in straight sets. The two Spaniards faced each other again last week in the final at Barcelona, with Nadal winning the title for the second time. With two
championship victories on his back, it is quite clear that the top ranked Spaniard will be having less trouble in overcoming the French opponent in the quarter-final at Madrid.
Llodra has been in an ordinary form this season and has been defeated seven times, while winning seven matches this year. It seems quite an impossible task for the Frenchman to take down the world number one in the quarter-finals.
However, The Guardian journalist Xan Brooks described Llodra as “one of those talented, maddening French players in the tradition of Henri Leconte, Guy Forget and Fabrice Santoro; at once supremely gifted and curiously brittle” and that he “plays like he's
just flown in from the 20th-century. His game is all dinks and slices and sly changes of pace.”
Llodra is well known for his net game and converting difficult volleys into cross-court winners. This could be an ability of the French which might put some pressure upon Nadal and induce him to commit unforced errors. It will
be an interesting contest when the two left-handers face each other in the quarterfinal of Mutua Madrid Open on Friday afternoon.
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