Rafael Nadal took out Bernard Tomic of Australia in his quarterfinal match Friday afternoon in Stuttgart. With the win he finds himself in rather unfamiliar territory. Nadal is back in a grass court semifinal for the first time since 2011 Wimbledon, where he reached the final.
Nadal’s struggles on grass are nothing out of the ordinary for him as it has always been by far his weakest surface. The Spaniard has won only three titles on grass in his entire career. What is out of the ordinary is that Nadal is now struggling on all surfaces–including the clay which he once was so invincible on.
Nadal has won only one title on the clay this year and that was back on March 1 at the Argentina Open. To put Nadal’s struggles in perspective, he won three clay court tournaments last year and six in 2013. Of course the biggest sign of his decline was his straightforward loss to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the French Open this year.
The nine-time French Open champion was bullied on court as he lost to Djokovic 75 63 61. What was most noticeable about this match was what happened in the third set. Throughout Nadal’s career he is known for his fighting spirit which was even on display in the first set of his match against Djokovic. Nadal was down a double break and battled back to even the set before losing it 75. In the third set though, Djokovic did something no player managed to do before to Nadal, especially on clay. Djokovic took away Nadal’s fighting spirit.
The crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier was silenced and Nadal was playing as if he conceded defeat as soon as he was broken early in the third set. Djokovic dethroned the ‘King of Clay’, but unlike the last time Nadal lost at the French Open back in 2009 to Robin Soderling, Nadal looks like he may not be able to rebound from it. Nadal’s body can’t do what he wants it to do anymore and even Nadal himself has admitted to that.
So what now? The grass court season begins and now more than ever Nadal needs a nice transition from clay to grass.
So far, that transition has been a little bumpy, but better than previous years. Nadal won his first match against Marcos Baghdatis in three sets and now defeated Tomic in three sets.
Although it was three sets Nadal controlled the match. Nadal had 14 aces and won 80 percent of his first serve points. He was also relatively efficient on break points, converting 3/6 and saving 8/9 that were against him.
What was good to see from Nadal in the match, especially in the first set, was his use of the slice. He incorporated it into his play at crucial times. At three-all in the first set he started using the slice that earned him a break point. It surprised Tomic and although he didn’t get the break it was effective. It would be wise for Nadal to use the slice more because it is an effective play for him.
Another play that Nadal needs to encompass more of into his game is the serve and volley. He used it timely today and just like the slice it caught Tomic off guard a few times. In the second set Nadal even saved a break point with a serve and volley. If he adds more variety he will be more effective on grass.
An area of concern for Nadal in today’s match was his serve. He did have 14 aces, but he also had five double faults. It’s not only that he had the double faults, but they provided Tomic break points and one gave Tomic the second set in the tie break.
One other area Nadal should draw attention to is his court time. Both his matches in Stuttgart have been over two hours. That is not a trend he probably would like to see continue, especially since he is playing doubles as well.
Right now though he is in a semifinal of a grass tournament and so far there are no major concerns in his play. The success so far this week could be a much-needed confidence boost after his disappointment in Roland Garros. Up next in the semis Nadal plays Gael Monfils.
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