I repeated over and over again Rafael Nadal before his matches that he is not in Madrid to win. That he was there to enjoy his last time at home, the tournament that he has played the most times in his career. But in the first point of the clash, and after an intense rally with the always tough Álex de Miñaur, closes with a winning blow and shouts his characteristic “let’s go!” from the rooftops. And in the second game, after the rest, he breaks the Australian’s serve and turns, clenched fist, towards his box, where his sister and his wife imitate his gesture.
Angry look from all of his people and suddenly, more than 12,000 spectators that crowd the Magic Box They travel, for a moment, to 2017, the year in which they won the last of their five wins in the capital. Anyone would say that the fact that he is in the capital “for an emotional reason rather than a tennis one” was a bluff. And even more so when he has a tough time with the chair umpire over a ball that had gone out and could have given him a double. break above.
This Saturday was not a tribute, as many of those present might have thought, but a tennis match. One that From the first to the last point, De Minaur in wall mode, patient, knowing that time plays in his favor. Nadal taking out the hammer, commanding, trying to shorten the points because, as the match progresses, the Australian begins to prevail in the rallies. And he takes the initiative by giving it to him, breaking the Balearic’s serve twice in a row to turn around the initial 2-0. But there the “competitive” Nadal resurfaces, the one that he himself did not see at this point.
Each winning shot (11 in the first set) is fuel for the confidence of Nadal who knew that his chances of victory were to win the first set and push, with the support of the public in the second. And he holds on to the first partial, and with him the network does it, which does him a couple of favors in key points that take him to the tie-break. There, In sudden death, every point by Rafa and every mistake by De Minaur is celebrated as a goal. Nadal temporizes, seeing signs of nervousness in his rival, whose court is too small. And when he sees his prey badly injured, he bites.
The first one goes to his pocket, and Miñaur begins to see what is coming his way. And even more so when, in the first game of the second set, Nadal breaks his serve again. There’s a lot left, Minaur doesn’t even know it yet, but that’s the game over. From there, Nadal does not hesitate with his serve, which grows each game, and closes out the rest between shouts of “oe, oe.”
2024-04-27 16:24:00
#Nadal #passes #tributes #clings #Madrid #giving #lesson #Miñaur #Provincia
