The test was more reliable than that of the day before against a Cobolli who was too impressed and expensive in direct errors. As expected, Rafael Nadal, solid and reassuring for his return on Tuesday, suffered much more against Alex de Minaur, who also tested him physically with three first games which lasted 26 minutes. Lacking a match and benchmarks, hesitating on certain strikes, the Spaniard had to deal with a formidable opponent, faithful to his reputation as a horseman. And if he was reassuring at certain moments of the match, the Mallorcan had difficulty maintaining the rhythm.
Forced to work on most points, guilty of a few approximations, Nadal forced and sometimes let go at times, with spurts of intensity. Trailing 3-1, he experienced a burst of vintage fever in the heart of the first set, with powerful backhand strokes, which allowed him to take the advantage at 5-4 against a shaken Australian. But it was when he seemed to have regained control that he dropped his pace, losing twelve of the last thirteen points of the round.
42 unforced errors for Nadal
The eye-catching Alex de Minaur, 11th in the world and loaded with the confidence of a very good start to the season, had something to answer for. Able to control the Spaniard’s backhand lift, he was not too afraid of long rallies. Often stuck to his line, he could simultaneously control the throws in defensive mode, with great possibilities for counterattacks, while surprising Nadal with drop shots on most of which the Spaniard did not run.
Breaking from the start of the second set, De Minaur continued his undermining work, while Nadal weakened on serve, with first balls which did not exceed 170 km/h. With no illusions about the end, the Spaniard ended up committing 42 unforced errors, the last of which was a forehand that was too long on the match point.
2024-04-17 16:19:22
#Nadal #beaten #Minaur #Barcelona #suffered
