Wimbledon: Clear path for Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon

Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini’s losses due to Covid are joined by the premature elimination of Felix Auger-Aliassime, three of their main rivals in the lower part of the draw.

There is no truce at Wimbledon. He knew Novak Djokovicthe champion of the last three editions, who, like last year, dropped a set in his debut, this time against the Korean Soon-Woo Kwon. could see it Carlos Alcaraztaken to the five partials by the German Jan-Lennart Struff. I suffered this Tuesday Rafael Nadalon his return to the tournament after three years, forced to have more than a bad time against the Argentine Francisco Cerndolowho ended up winning 6-4, 6-3, 3-6 and 6-4, after three hours and 33 minutes.

The grass is another story and the throes of the pandemic increase the degree of unpredictability. Matteo Berrettini, finalist in 2021, recent winner in Stuttgart and Queen’s, could not even make his debut after his positive for covid. The Italian, perhaps the second real favorite after Djokovic, according to his condition as a true specialist on the surface, circulated in the lower part of the table, the same one where Nadal travels, and was called to face him in some hypothetical semifinals. On Monday he said goodbye Cilic, also because of covid, also on that side of the key. Another one who stayed on the road was Felix Auger-Aliasimus, sixth favorite and destined to face the Spanish in some presumed quarters. The young Canadian player, who demanded Nadal the five sets in the Roland Garros quarters, could not contain the gale of Maxime Cressya giant of 1.98 that spends like few others in this type of scenario.

Nadal had last set foot on the All England Club Central in the 2019 semi-finals. He lost with Roger Federer, who two days later could not take advantage of two match points against Djokovic that would have given him his ninth title and twenty-first Grand Slam. Hit by injuries, the Swiss is still on the couch after that lost opportunity, awaiting his announced return for next October.

It could have been thought, as events transpired later, that Nadal would not return to Wimbledon. The pandemic crossed, with the consequent suspension of the tournament in 2020, and the foot injury prevented him from participating last year. Just a few weeks ago, she still hadn’t confirmed his presence, again with chronic pain on her back.

“Elevate my level”

This Tuesday, with only the two exhibition games played in Hurlingham against Stan Wawrinka and Auger-Aliassime, Nadal noted the lack of expertise in a territory as specific as grass. Cerndolo, 23 years old, 42 thanks to his taking off in the first part of the season, he did not belong, far from it, to the stereotype of a player who can cause problems on this surface. In fact, he had only won one match over her, most recently in the first round at Queen’s.

The truth is that when he seemed to start heading for the locker room, two sets down and with a service disadvantage at the beginning of the third, he starred in a reaction with which he was not far from prolonging the dispute until a fifth set, after having four balls to make it 4-1 in the fourth. The positive is that I ended up playing well. The last two games raised my level, without a doubt. That gave me the opportunity to win, Nadal commented at a press conference, before referring to the conditions in which the match was played.

When it is windy and cold the ball is very heavy. When it’s sunny, conditions are a little drier, the ball comes out quicker, spends less time between the strings. Today, it was a heavy ball. It was very windy and it was not easy to play.

Too conservative at times, he also made 41 unforced errors. He played at a high level for quite some time. He didn’t miss, he served well, hitting big forehands and especially big backhands, he said of his opponent.

Champion at the Australian Open and at Roland Garros, Nadal thus chained his fifteenth consecutive victory in a Grand Slam tournament, where he has not lost since the semifinals in Paris last year, against Djokovic. The Lithuanian awaits him on Thursday Ricard Berankiswhom he beat in straight sets earlier in the year, on his way to the title at the ATP 250 in Melbourne, his first title of the year.