Top coach reflects on Rafael Nadal’s future
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Rafael Nadal finished the 2004 season with the Davis Cup crown, setting his sights on high goals in 2005. After losing a close matchup with Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open, Nadal traveled to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico and competed in his beloved clay court.
The young man won back-to-back titles in Costa Do Sauipe and Acapulco and was just outside the top-30 at the age of 18. Nadal skipped Indian Wells and returned to action in Miami. He beat Rainer Schuettler and Fernando Verdasco to find himself in the round of 16 for the second year in a row, having upset Roger Federer in the third round 12 months earlier.
Rafa had to work hard against Ivan Ljubicic in the fight for the quarterfinals, beating the Croatian 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in two hours and 44 minutes. Nadal suffered only one break and won three return games from 12 chances to come out on top.
Ljubicic fought well in the second set to take it down in the tie break before Nadal rallied in the decider to cross the finish line first and put Thomas Johannson in check. Rafa praised his serve after the match, saying that it worked much better than in previous rounds.
Furthermore, Nadal mentioned that remarkable win over Federer a year ago, calling the Swiss the best player and bringing back fond memories of their first meeting. “I won the match because I played very well and stayed aggressive.
Not only did Ljubicic serve well, but he also performed at a great level from the baseline, putting a lot of pressure on me. I had to fight a lot and return well; that was the critical element. The Key Biscayne surface suits my game, it’s not too fast and I like it.
I love how my serve worked today; It has been much better than in the previous rounds.”
Rafa had a great 2022
In a recent interview at the International Sports Forum held in Spain, Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach, spoke about how long he thought his nephew would continue playing.
“I’m not a fortune teller, I don’t know. I think that as long as he…
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Source : tennisworldusa
