Why Rafael Nadal's Madrid Open campaign has had a few positives
Rafael Nadal lost 5-7 4-6 to Jiri Lehecka of Czech Republic last Tuesday in the fourth round of the Madrid Open. The 37-year-old Spaniard thus appeared for the last time in the tournament played in the Spanish capital.
This is only the second time in his career that Nadal was unable to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. By Nadal's lofty standards, a Round of 16 exit is a disappointing one but considering his fitness issues, this elimination carries promise.
Additionally, there were also a lot of positives to be taken from his campaign in Madrid.
Nadal won three matches in the tournament:
The Mallorcan won his first three matches at Madrid Open, which is not a bad return for somebody who is going to be 38 next month and has barely played any competitive tennis during the past year.
He beat a top-10 player like Alex de Minaur, thus avenging his defeat to the Aussie at Barcelona Open last month. He also disposed off an American teenager named Darwin Blanch easily and beat Pedro Cachin of Argentina in a three-setter.
Traditionally, Nadal has not done as well in Madrid as he has in the other big tournaments of the European clay swing and hence, his campaign there at this stage of his career can be called a moderate success.
The Spaniard’s fitness concerns must have been alleviated:
Nadal suffered from an injury for the better part of last year and it remained a concern for him prior to the start of the Barcelona Open after he had withdrawn from the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, he has appeared in five matches since and has looked in a decent physical shape in them.
He has obviously become somewhat slower in his movements, but can still go toe-to-toe with his much younger opponents.
Moreover, the way he hit his crosscourt-backhand against de Minaur or played his inch-perfect forehands against Cachin proved that the Spaniard was not finished yet.
His touch at the net and the occasional ability to take the ball early were also heartening to watch. The pin-point accuracy in his shots was still mostly there, but his court-coverage has suffered a bit on account of the reduced speed in his movement. Lehecka's powerful forehand, however, troubled him a great deal, and he should not have allowed the Czech to dictate terms with it.
It remains to be seen whether he participates in the Italian Open next week before playing at French Open. The best-of-five format at Roland Garros will be a concern at his age, but the 22-time Grand Slam champion can be trusted to give it his best shot. It can be safely assumed that Nadal and his team will do their best to ensure success at the French Major.