"Crowd is going to boo him";"He'll break Rafael Nadal's back"- Fans react to Alex de Minaur's drop-shot strategy against Spaniard at Barcelona Open
Tennis fans have reacted to the match between Alex de Minaur and Rafael Nadal at the Barcelona Open. The major point of discussion was focused on the fact that the Australian was seen using the drop shot extensively as a way to combat Nadal's baseline strokeplay.
Nadal made a long-awaited comeback on the ATP tour at the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard looked in fine form as he defeated Italy's Flavio Cobolli in the first round losing just 5 games. De Minaur on the other hand, got a bye in the first round as he is the fourth seed in the tournament.
One fan pointed out the fact that de Minaur was using the drop shot so extensively that there was a chance that the crowd might start to boo him during the match.
"De Minaur is dropshotting so much vs Rafa that soon the crowd is going to boo him every time," observed a fan.
Another fan accepted the efficacy of the drop-shot strategy by stating that this style of play would break the back of the Spaniard.
"He’ll break Nadals back with those drop shots," opined another fan.
Another fan noted that De Minaur might have had a conversation with Fabian Marozsan before going into the match. Notably, Alcaraz has defeated Nadal on clay at the Madrid Open whereas Alcaraz himself lost to Marozsan on clay at last year's Italian Open. Both those matches saw the effective use of drop shots by the victors.
"De Minaur must have had a group call with Alcaraz and Maroszan last night. Drop shots galore first few games," said a fan.
Here are some more reactions:
"See, that's a perfect point. And totally expected from rafas fanbase. Great point Olly, I know you made it as a joke, but it's based in reality," said a fan.
"Yeah he’s getting him a lot," observed another fan.
"He better put those old legs to work," stated a fan.
"The best strategy- Give opponents what they do not like," stated another fan.
"They will boo him anyway, this are the fans of Nadal," opined a fan.
"Let's see how far I can, but I will try not to cross lines" - Nadal makes a cautious speculation about his comeback
Rafael Nadal openly admitted that it would take him some time to get into the flow of things. After his first-round win against Flavio Cobolli, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was forthright in admitting that his game needed some further fine-tuning, especially his service.
"I haven't been able to serve for a few months and, although I'm very excited, I'm not going to do things that are out of logic and serve like a crazy person. I have to serve with the caution that the moment commands me," stated Nadal at a press conference (via Marca.com).
The Spaniard said he would be cautious on a physical level and would not be on the side of taking undue risks for fear of flaring up old injuries.
"I don't know how my body can respond to this type of demands. Let's see how far I can, but I will try not to cross lines, he added.
Nadal was apprehensive about facing Alex de Minaur in the next round, admitting that he may not have the pace to outrun his opponent. De Minaur is known as one of the fastest movers on the court on the ATP circuit.
Nadal eventually lost the match 5-7, 1-6 to the Australian in the second round where the Spaniard was bamboozled by the drop-shot strategy adopted by the Australian.