Nadal back in form at Tokyo matches
World Number 1 player Rafael “Rafa” Nadal seems to have returned to the court to make another successful tennis streak, defeating Santiago Geraldo of Colombia in straight sets, despite jetlag and exhaustion. The top player is undiscouraged by his setback
at the PTT Thailand Open, where he was defeated in a surprise semi final loss against unseeded Guillermo Garcia Lopez in a three set upset, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, after which many critics expected him to change his gameplay. However, Nadal himself said, “There
is not much you can do in a matter of days. If you look at the way I lost in Thailand you would say I have to make some changes. If anything, I feel I need to be more aggressive.”
The Spanish champion proved his point at the first round of the 2010 Japan Open, where he bounced back to his usual form. Nadal defeated Geraldo in a 1 hour 49 minutes long match at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, winning the match 6-4, 6-4. Before the match,
Nadal had seemed somewhat cautious on Monday, saying, “[It] will be a difficult match. It’s a very fast surface here and Giraldo is a very good player. He will be dangerous.”
During the match, Nadal triumphed by using some very hard hitting shots when they were most needed, but he also made a number of unforced errors which challenged his game and lengthened playing time, with his serve demonstrating some weakness. He himself
commented, “That wasn’t part of the strategy for sure. I started too many games love-30. My serve was the worst it’s been for my last 11 or 12 matches.” However, his ceaseless pressure shots and baseline play resulted in a well-earned break in the fifth game
of the first set, helped along by Giraldo’s fumbling backhand hit into the net. At the same point during the second set, Nadal broke again with a crushing forehand and sent Giraldo scrambling over the court, while the Spaniard himself dictated the match with
a mid-court ball into the corner of Giraldo’s half. His aggressive game eventually gave him a victory.
Nadal himself had a difficult flight to Tokyo, with turbulence which did not allow him to sleep. He commented on this as well, saying “As I said before, I was a little bit more tired than usual and I wasn't totally focused in all the points. The first point
of every game is important and today I started too many games playing bad points so that is something that I have to change for the next game."
In the next round, Rafael Nadal will be playing against Miles Raonic, a qualifier from Canada. Raonic himself defeated Florent Serra of France in a three set win, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The Canadian seems eager for this opportunity, saying, “To play the world No.
1 on a world stage here is something big for my tennis and for tennis in Canada.” Nadal is once again cautious, commenting “I was playing well but I have to play with more energy in the next match. He (Raonic) is young and a very good potential. He has a very
fast serve and he can play very well from the baseline too. It's going to be very difficult to win the next round."
Tags: