‘My hard-court game has improved’
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In February 2005, Rafael Nadal battled against Ricardo Mello for two and a half hours en route to the Costa do Sauipe title. Half a year later, the Spaniard would lose three games against the Brazilian in the second round of the Canada Masters in Montreal to secure a place in the third round.
A lot had happened between those two encounters, with Nadal becoming one of the world’s best players after a fantastic run in his first notable season. In February, Rafa won two ATP titles on clay before advancing into the Miami final and claiming the first Masters 1000 crown in Monte Carlo.
The youngster conquered Barcelona and Rome in the following weeks and made a perfect Roland Garros debut, beating Roger Federer and Mariano Puerta to lift the first Major trophy. Rafa did not play well on grass, losing early in Halle and Wimbledon to lose steam a bit.
Rafael Nadal reached the third round at the 2005 Canada Masters.
He would bounce back quickly, though, winning titles in Bastad and Stuttgart in July and taking a break ahead of Montreal. Playing for the first time as world no.
2, Nadal made a winning start at the Canada Masters thanks to a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 victory over a compatriot and friend Carlos Moya. In the second round, the youngster had a more relaxed day at the office, toppling Ricardo Mello 6-1, 6-2 in 66 minutes after dominating from start to finish.
The Spaniard dropped 11 points in eight service games, faced no break points and took 56% of the return points to grab four breaks from seven opportunities and sail into the last 16. Speaking about his hard-court game, Nadal mentioned the improvements in comparison to the previous season, listing his good results and hoping for a deep run in Montreal.
“When I played against Melo in Brazil, it was a reliable performance, but without the confidence I now have. He played in front of the home crowd, which gave him massive support; he could not repeat that today. Also, I have improved my game.
My results…
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Source : tennisworldusa
