Madrid Open 2022: 3 things that stood out in Rafael Nadal's win over Miomir Kecmanovic
Rafael Nadal beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 7-6(4) in the second round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
It was Nadal’s first match since he sustained a rib injury at Indian Wells and his first on clay in 11 months.
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Kecmanovic fought hard, especially in the second set to try and take the match to a decider. However, Nadal managed to edge out the Serb in just under two hours to reach the third round where he will face David Goffin.
On that note, let’s take a look at the three factors that stood out in the match:
#1 Rafael Nadal got off to a flying start as Miomir Kecmanovic was broken early
It was always going to be an uphill task for the 22-year-old Kecmanovic to hold his own against the King of Clay. However, the Serb put up a valiant effort and made Rafael Nadal work hard to win points, with several long rallies early on in the match.
However, Nadal seemed in no mood to offer any respite to his opponent and broke in the fourth game to go 2-1 up in the first set.
Kecmanovic engaged in some backhand crosscourt exchanges with the Spaniard, but failed to hit through him on most occasions. Nadal, on the other hand, kept hitting powerful groundstrokes off both wings and didn't let the Serb grab any rhythm or momentum in the match.
#2 Rafael Nadal targetted Miomir Kecmanovic's weak second serve:
Nadal continued his ruthless display to break the Serb again in the sixth game of the first set to go 5-1 up. He targeted Kecmanovic’s weaker second serve as the Serb struggled to land first serves, with his first serve percentage being 65% in the first set. Nadal then held his serve to love to win the first set.
Kecmanovic tried to come to the net to put pressure on Nadal, but that tactic backfired, with the Spaniard hitting several passing shots.
Nadal hit 10 winners, eight of which came off his forehand, and committed only five unforced errors in the first set. It was a vintage performance from the five-time champion that left Kecmanovic spellbound.
#3 Miomir Kecmanovic fought hard in the 2nd set but Rafael Nadal stayed aggressive:
As one-sided as the first set was, the second was a lot more competitive. Just as the set started, there was a rain delay of around half an hour with the score 1-0 in favor of Kecmanovic. The remainder of the match was played under a closed roof.
Kecmanovic emerged from the break much stronger and gave Nadal a run for his money.
The Serb kept testing Rafael Nadal’s court coverage with angled crosscourt backhands and also hit quite a few forehand down-the-line winners. Nadal, on the other hand, came to the net a lot more often in the second set. He also opted to serve-and-volley on a few occasions.
Nadal got the first break in the second set to go 3-2 up, but Kecmanovic broke back in the following game. The pattern was repeated minutes later, with Nadal breaking the Serb in the 11th game only to be broken while serving for the match. Nadal was able to come out on top in the tie-break, winning it 7-4.
Rafael Nadal was a lot more error-prone in the second set and committed 18 unforced errors, with the majority of them coming off his backhand. Kecmanovic, meanwhile, continued to be vulnerable off his second serve, winning only 32% of the points off that shot.