Rafael Nadal’s Battle Against Time is a Battle Against Time
The most important thing about Rafael Nadal’s battle against time is that it is a battle against time. There are days when he barely plays, and there are days when he is more active and aggressive than ever before. The way we are going to tackle Rafael Nadal’s time attack is that we will play three consecutive sets, and we will try to figure out if he truly is able to overcome the limitations he was born with, or if he has had an amazing run of good luck. So, we have the three sets scheduled, and, at the same time, we will give the public a hint of how this match might go.
First, the three sets, on Rafa’s home court, and in his normal court:
WTA Premier Singles Quarterfinals:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
“Nadal in the zone”
In the first set at Indian Wells, Nadal got up to his first service break in the second game. And that was the moment the match entered a new stage. There is a reason people were calling that day the “Nadal in the zone.” His serve to start the match was flawless, and he was able to control the point. He was able the second game to take the momentum. And that was the real turning point for him. In a situation where his two chances were so similar that he was able to force a tiebreak or tiebreak point, he made a decision. He decided to do the same thing he has been doing his whole career. He decided to control the point. And he did it. For the first half of the fifth set, he was getting break points at the exact same rate. For the first break in the fifth game, he took the pressure off his opponent. And then, he lost the next two games and lost it in a tiebreak.
Day 1: (Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Verdas