Top seed Rafael Nadal secured his round of 16 berth at the Australian Open in imposing fashion, obliterating his countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-2 6-4 in just 98 minutes. It was a sterling performance from the world #1, who struck 42 winners and made just seven unforced errors. But Nadal will need to maintain that level of aggression and accuracy if he is to pass the tests that lie ahead. Too much passivity will certainly cost him in the second week.
Need a PR consultant, Pablo?
Leading up to the match, Carreno Busta told Spanish newspaper AS he knew the strategy to bother Nadal.
“[Alex] de Miñaur was really close to beating him. I know Rafa very well and I know how I could make him uncomfortable,” Carreno Busta said.
That Nadal struggles against opponents who can withstand or even dominate the cross-court exchanges from the ad side, is public knowledge. Novak Djokovic has long cause Nadal real problems due to his ability to take on Nadal’s cross-court forehand with his own backhand and punish anything that lands short. The Serb steps up to the baseline, takes the ball on the rise and hits either deep down the line or at a sharp angle, and puts Nadal on the backfoot. Rinse and repeat.
But Djokovic is one of the greatest players of all time. He can hurt Nadal from all over the court, in a way that Carreno Busta, for all the quality of his own two-hander, simply cannot. It is understandable that Carreno Busta wanted to strike a confident tone ahead of the match, but that desire may just have backfired. He had never previously beaten Nadal in three meetings and his words appeared to have inspired Nadal to greater heights.
A flat out beatdown
Saying the match was one-sided would be an understatement. Nadal won 79 of a total 125 points, which amounts to a sky-high 63.2% of points. Halfway through the match, with the score at 6-1 2-0, the 19-time Major champion led 35 to 12 in points. At the highest-level of the game that is astonishing. And it was not a match where the stats did not line up with what was happening on court. Nadal was always in the driver’s seat, dictating proceedings.
Carreno Busta had no answer for Nadal’s one-two punches when the world #1 was serving, whilst the 2009 champion also won 41% of the points against his countryman’s serve. In the baseline exchanges, his backhand stood out, with Nadal using it to create short angles or hammering winners down the line. He will doubtless be delighted with the performance, which sets him up perfectly for the week ahead. But make no mistake, there are surely tumultuous times to come for the great man.
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