Nadal will Stop at Nothing—Nathan’s Notice

Written by: Staff on 19th January 2012

Nadal will Stop at Nothing—Nathan’s Notice |

By: Nathan M. Cuny

In the pursuit of glory through agony and perseverance, in the want for his old mistress—Lady No.1—Nadal will stop at nothing. He trudges through the mire of slanderous accusations screaming, “You’re no longer the top player! You let a No.3 get in your head—you lack in confidence, you’re mental game is waning. Your speed is lost and where is your overpowering dominance. You’re no Rafael Nadal, you’re a fake!” Even so he trudges on with his taped knee and twisted tendon.

Nadal played a 2 ½ hr match paying no mind to the burning sensations in his right knee and by the end he was victorious. He gained his newest trophy, the scalp of former No.2 Tommy Haas, after defeating him 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on the afternoon of Wednesday the 18^th. Nadal started the match well seemingly in control gaining a quick 4-0 lead. By the tenth game Nadal was close to losing control as Haas neared the possibility of evening the score with a break point chance. Nadal soon re-found his rhythm and claimed the first set.

The biggest rival on Nadal’s side of the draw, Roger Federer, was given a free pass to the third round after his second round opponent, Andreas Beck, withdrew due to back injury. Nadal was asked if he would have enjoyed such good grace as fate befitted Federer and he answered, “Before the day started, yes. Now that I’ve played and won, I’m happy. It was a positive match, but not that demanding. We didn’t play four hours, five hours. Three sets, so it wasn’t that tough. I’ve been practicing well, I’ve had a very good preparation in my opinion. I’ve won two matches in straight sets with positive feelings.”

Nadal’s positive aura along with several other aspects will definitely help him advance to the final. This year Nadal’s serving speed is faster than last year’s, averaging at around 110 mph on first-serve. Serving faster will make a big difference for Nadal giving him a little more control during matches.

Rafa faces No. 119 Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in Friday the 20^th’s third round match at 11:00 AM. They face off at the Rod Laver arena. Following Nadal’s likely win against Lacko he contends with either Feliciano Lopez or John Isner. Nadal has beaten Isner 8 out of 10 times losing only twice. Its probable Feliciano Lopez won’t advance past Isner after his strenuous five-set match against David Nalbandian. From there on Nadal either battles it out against Tomas Berdych or Roger Federer. Nadal has beaten Berdych 10 out of 13 times, and has a surprising 17-9 match record against Federer.

As Nadal slashes through the listed players his weapon of choice has been modified just a bit, giving him an extra edge. Rafa added three grams of led tape to his racket meaning his swing will have more speed and power. As he hits the ball harder with the three grams added to his Babolat AeroPro Drive GT he’ll have better chances against the heavy hitters like Nole and The Fed. Prepare yourselves for tomorrow’s victory as the undaunted man known as Rafa whacks his path to the finals.

Topics: Australian Open, Rafael Nadal