Nadal starts to up the ante as the action heats up in New York sun
● Spaniard makes short work of Dolgopolov ● “Next Gen” Russian to face World No 1
It has not been what anyone would call a stellar US Open so far. When the official tournament website runs its Day Eight preview under the heading “Grinders strike back”, not even the most enthusiastic fan can get excited.
But now that the first week has been consigned to history – and, in theory, the wheat has been sorted from the chaff – Rafael Nadal is beginning to throw his weight around.
The new world No 1 – he took over from Andy Murray at the end of last month – shed a few sets in the first week but as he took on Alexandr Dolgopolov yesterday in the warm afternoon sunshine, he suddenlylookedlikeamanona mission.
It was a near-perfect display from the 2013 and 2010 US champion as he took one look at the potential banana skin in front of him and squashed it flat. In 104 minutes of fiercely focused and muscular tennis, Nadal committed just 11 unforced errors as he bullied Dolgopolov into submission.
The thin man from Ukraine has had his moments in the course of his eight-year professional career – it’s just that there have not been that many of them. Then again, everyone in the locker room knows that if Dolgopolov is fit, healthy and fancies the fight, he can be an awkward customer.
So when, in the middle of the first set, Nadal double faulted to present Dolgopolov with a break point, he frowned. To give the Ukrainian a lead could prove dangerous; something needed to be done. That is when Nadal what Nadal loves to do: he flexed those famous biceps of his and laid into his forehand to crush Dolgopolov and any hint of confidence he might have had. Job done.
“I feel that comparing to other days, I feel more calm on court,” Nadal said. “Is true that I was able to have the break early in the first set, but really I felt more comfortable from since the beginning.
“Most important thing is more times I had the control of the time of the point, you know. Not many balls surprise me. I didn’t hit a lot of balls earlier than what I thought or later than what I thought, something that happened in the first couple of days. And that’s very good news. Because when that happens is, of course, the previous round had been a
0 Rafael Nadal has his sights set on a third US Open victory at Flushing Meadows in New York. step forward for me and today another one. So I’m playing a little bit better every day.
“It’s about being a little bit more relaxed. Every victory, every set that you win is more confidence. That what’s I am doing. I am fighting when the things are not going that well and trying to keep going when the things starts to go the way that I want.”
Now Nadal has the new challenge of Andrey Rublev, the 19-year-old Russian world No 53 to contend with. He beat David Goffin 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 yesterday. Rublev is part of the ATP’S “Next Gen”, the new raft of talents being promoted to within an inch of their lives.
Rublev has been to Majorca to practise with Nadal in the past and he does not such admire the Spaniard as idolise him. He feels that he has nothing to lose when he plays Nadal – but Nadal is not believing a word of it.
“Of course I understand what he said, and he’s a great guy,” the former champion said. “I have been here for a lot of years, and when you are young, sometimes you have this point of view, but at the end of the day, of course you have things to lose.
“He has things to lose. And of course I have things to lose and things to win. But I tell you one thing: this sport is about victory. This is not about defeats. No, at the end of your career, nobody remember your defeats, your losses. People remember the victories. For everybody is everything to win, you know. And that’s it.”
And, as the second week unfolds, Nadal is looking every inch the man who knows exactly what it takes to keep winning in New York.