Nadal: speed of game is ‘crazy’
RAFAEL Nadal says tennis has become ‘‘crazy’’ in recent years, with more and more players going for a quick kill on court.
Nadal, of course, is known for his attritional play, a man at ease with slogging it out from the baseline – a style which has garnered 16 Grand Slam titles.
‘‘Before, players were trying to play one ball there, one ball there, to finish the point. Since a couple of years ago, I feel that the tour has become little bit more crazy in that aspect, no?’’ Nadal said.
‘‘People are going for the point quicker than before. The players are returning faster than before, going for the winners (from) the return.
‘‘From the baseline, at the minimum opportunity, people go for the shot ... we used to wait for the right ball to go for the winner. Now you go for the winner even [if you are not] in a very good position.’’
Regardless of the change in tactics from others, sparked perhaps by even more high-tech racquets, Nadal is doing just fine, and heads into Sunday’s fourth round having dropped only 21 games in his first three matches.
The world No.1 has defeated Victor Estrella Burgos, Leonardo Mayer and Damir Dzumhur and now has Argentinean Diego Schwartzman – one of the shortest men in the top 100 on the ATP tour – on his agenda.
Schwartzman, though, should pose a threat, for he is the world No.26 (a career high), and crunched Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Friday.
‘‘He’s a great player. He’s a player that last year had an amazing year, and this year [is] playing so well. Being honest, he’s a player that if I don’t play my best, probably I don’t ... win,’’ Nadal said.
What Nadal did not mention is that he has beaten Schwartzman in their three meetings. In fact, he has not dropped a set.
‘‘He’s able to change directions easy. He’s a player that already played the quarterfinals in the US Open,’’ Nadal said. The Age