The opponent was the same as the defeat almost two weeks ago, in Barcelona – which helps with the analysis. The result, very different. In Madrid, with a pulsating crowd in his favor, Rafael Nadal showed himself to be a superior tennis player to the one he competed in Catalonia. He scored 7/6 (6) and 6/3 over Alex de Minaur, current number 11 in the world, and advanced to the third round in the Spanish capital.
No, it wasn’t the Nadal of the great days. Far from it. This Saturday’s Rafa had its ups and downs, typical of those who have not recovered their usual competitive rhythm and, above all, of those who are not 100% physically recovered. It was a Nadal who was exciting on several occasions with forehand winners, short shots or finding ways to get out of defense and into attack. He was also a hesitant veteran at other times and almost let a tie-break that was under his control slip away (6/2). In the end, his intelligent tennis, with fewer errors than last week, prevailed.
The best sign, however, was the service. Rafa gained a few free points with his foundation (De Minaur was unable to return just five serves out of the 60 that the Spaniard performed), but he achieved consistency with more speed. The speeds of 160, 150 and even 140km/h that were common in Barcelona have disappeared. This week, in Madrid, the King of Clay almost always maneuvered above 170km/h, with some serves here and there approaching 200km/h. A more than encouraging sign for someone who spent so long on the sidelines due to an abdominal injury.
