This year Nadal has impressed on clay and hard courts – not experiencing a dip in form at any point. As the Spaniard entered Wimbledon all eyes were on whether he could replicate his form on the grass courts of Wimbledon, and he surely has.
Today the two-time Wimbledon champion took to Centre Court for the first time in two years. The previous outing ended in a shock defeat to Dustin Brown and this was actually his last official grass court match prior to this years’ Wimbledon. Donald Young was his opponent today in the second round on the hottest day of the Championships so far. Nadal was awesome and picked up where he left off against Millman.
Match Analysis
Rafael Nadal was utterly dominant today as he raced to a straight sets win. The first two sets were hardly competitive as Nadal had a little too much firepower for the American. What was even more impressive was how aggressive Nadal was being and how willing he was to come forward to the net. The Spaniard approached the net a staggering thirty-four times across all three sets. Out of those voyages forward he was able to win the point twenty-seven times (79%). Not only was he coming forward but he was being effective in the forecourt which is always a good sign on the grass.
The third set turned out to be much tougher for the world no.2 as Donald Young started to loosen up and go for his shots. Nadal was like a sponge, soaking up all the pressure Young inflicted on him. There was a slight wobble at 5-4 in the third set when Nadal was serving for the match only for Young to break back. The Spaniard quickly regrouped and took the next two games and with it the match. An utterly clinical performance.
Next for Nadal?
Nadal will face his biggest test of the Championships so far when he takes on young Russian Karen Khachanov for a place in the fourth round. The Russian posses major weapons including his monstrous forehand which can seriously hurt Nadal. Khachanov is a very good grass court player too, shown by his run to the semi finals in Halle last month. The two have never met before so it may take a few games for them to get used to eachothers games. If Nadal plays the way he has done in his last two matches then he will be in the second week of Wimbledon for only the second time in six years.
Can Rafael Nadal Win the Title?
Nadal has being superb tennis all year and there is no doubt he can go all the way here at SW19. There is the argument that he may not be a force on grass anymore. After all the last time he managed to make the quarter finals here was six years ago. Despite this he is still a two time Wimbledon champion who once made five finals in a row. His first two rounds have been very impressive so there is definitely a chance for him to pick up his third Wimbledon title.
Remember, if Nadal is to win the title then he will be the new World no. 1. Many players are also saying the courts are playing slower than in previous years, which only helps Nadal and his style of play. After a dominant start to his 2017 Wimbledon campaign it is clear that Rafael Nadal is back to his grass court best.
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