Nadal hits the ball against Van de Zandschulp on his way to the quarterfinals

Rafa Nadal is already in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, the round in which he has never lost. She was back in the top eight on the grass in London, for the eighth time in her legendary career. With the feeling, in addition to having reached cruising speed on a surface that always has something foreign to him, much more after the total absence of shooting on the green before the third Grand Slam of the season. Botic van de Zandschulp, one of the revelations of the tournament, was no match for the most successful of all time on the great stages of world tennis.

Nadal stepped onto Center Court again as the last hope of the ‘Spanish Armada’ at Wimbledon, just after Badosa’s resounding loss to Halep on the same stage. He faces a tennis player with an almost unpronounceable name and little experience at the first level, but much more experienced on grass than the Balearic after reaching the semifinals in Queens and playing in the Mallorca Tournament. Despite a logical favoritism, even more so after improving his feelings with a great game against Sonego after his more discreet version against Cerúndolo and Berankis, the Spaniard did not want any confidence in the face of the Dutchman’s fast game, whom he had already defeated this year in the third round of Roland Garros

Firm in his service, he was very close to the ‘break’ in the premiere with his opponent’s serve. The thing was about patience, maturing the break of the adversary service that gave him the initiative. He was waiting far behind for the rival serve, aware of his virtues but without finishing finding the key to counteract them. The first set seemed on the way to the ‘tie break’ but you already know about the ‘Nadal zone’. The one from Manacor activates a kind of special power when the moments of truth approach. So it was in the tenth game of the match, just in which he remained to win the initial quarter. Two ‘break’ balls and therefore a set after a double fault by Van de Zandschulp as a result of pressure. Too much concession for the victor-eater’s hunger. The Dutchman saved the first, but in the second his ‘passing’ went long and put the match downhill for the two-time Wimbledon champion (4-6).

The advantage did not seem to undermine the morale of the Wageningen tennis player, with the possibility of challenging one of the greatest and equaling the quarterfinals of the US Open 2021, his historical ceiling. Nadal made it very difficult for him to kick off his first serve, with his first ‘break’ ball of the match, but the one who signed the opponent’s service break was almost always the one. Another blow of effect at the precise moment and in command of the second set. He had to go 0-3 behind Van de Zandschulp to regain confidence in his powerful serve and show all those qualities that have lifted him to 25th place in the ATP ranking, but it was too late. Nadal was unapproachable, even under a feeling of comfort. He closed the set again with an alien error, this time a double fault, by making it 2-6 that forced his opponent into Homeric heroics.

The Dutchman rebelled against adversity with a ‘break’ of pride, but his revolt lasted a sigh, which took Nadal to return the coin to the first exchange. The Spanish hit came with the 2-3 through the most exciting point of the match but not enough, because surprisingly the one from Manacor failed with service to close the match. With everything lost, Van de Zandschulp arrested him to force the tiebreaker and save three match balls before dying with his boots on. Turn now for the American Taylor Fritz. There are pending accounts from the Indian Wells final this season (3-6 and 6-7). Another incentive for the last Spanish hope at Wimbledon.