Rafael Nadal Saves Four Match Points To Down Goffin In Dramatic Three Hour Contest - UBITENNIS
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Rafael Nadal Saves Four Match Points To Down Goffin In Dramatic Three Hour Contest

Rafael Nadal will meet Carlos Alcaraz or Cameron Norrie in the last eight after a blockbuster win in Madrid.

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Rafael Nadal (@MutuaMadridOpen - Twitter)

Rafael Nadal edged past David Goffin 6-3 5-7 7-6(9) in a dramatic three hour contest to reach the quarter-finals in Madrid.

 

Nadal was cruising towards victory at 6-3 5-3 and even had two match points before Goffin came back to force a decider.

The Belgian produced some vintage tennis to push Nadal to his limits and even had four match points himself.

However the 21-time grand slam champion survived the three hour contest to set up a last eight meeting with Carlos Alcaraz or Cameron Norrie.

The start of the match saw Goffin construct some effective points as he hit the ball cleanly and tested Nadal’s ability from all areas of the baseline.

Nadal’s lack of match time certainly was exposed throughout the course of the match and despite some impressive returns, was lacking consistency.

Eventually Goffin’s persistency and defensive skills earned its rewards as he got the break for a 3-2 lead.

After that though it was all Nadal as he went through the gears and slowly showed why he is the king of clay, dominating through his heavy forehand.

As the unforced errors was produced from the Belgian, Nadal displayed confidence and took full advantage as he reeled off four games in a row and two breaks of serve to claim the opening set in 48 minutes.

Nadal capitalised on his momentum from the opening set as he reeled off the winners and caused problems to Goffin’s gameplan.

The Belgian was too conservative on serve and Nadal made him pay as he broke to love for a 2-1 lead.

Goffin couldn’t do anything to disrupt Nadal’s rhythm in the middle of the set as Nadal bullied the Belgian into errors and continued his dominance on serve.

However Nadal’s match rustiness came to haunt him as he couldn’t finish the match off on his two match points in the ninth and tenth games, which meant Goffin made him pay the price as he broke back for 5-5.

Goffin grabbed his moment and played more aggressive tennis, winning four games in a row as he levelled the match at one set all.

The Spanish crowd were enticed in this battle and so was Nadal as he looked for the immediate break in the decider but was denied by the plucky Belgian.

As the match went on Goffin continued to answer the questions posed of him in emphatic style as he continued to hit winners past a tentative Spaniard.

Nadal’s serve and forehand were defensive and this match turned into a battle of defensive attrition as no more break points were created as the deciding set went to a thrilling tiebreak.

The tiebreak was back and forth but it was Goffin who was presented with four opportunities to seal a massive win including a forehand down the line at 6-5.

But the pressure and nerves got to the Belgian and after three hours and 11 minutes, Nadal sealed a dramatic win in Madrid to reach the last eight.

After the match Nadal admitted to the ATP website that it was a tough match, “Honestly, it was a very tough match,” the 21-time grand slam champion said.

“I think I played at a very high level. But at the same time I am not completely happy because I have to finish the match in straight sets, without a doubt. A very important victory, saving match points. That’s confidence, that gives me the chance to keep going. I need matches and I need a day like to day to be fitter sooner.”

Nadal will now meet Carlos Alcaraz or Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals. Nadal leads the head-to-head against Alcaraz 2-0 including beating him on his 18th birthday last year, while he leads the head-to-head against Norrie 4-0.

The match will take place at not before 3pm BST after Novak Djokovic’s clash with Hubert Hurkacz.

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Alexander Zverev Deserves More Respect According To Boris Becker

According to Boris Becker, Alexander Zverev deserves more respect from tennis journalists.

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Alexander Zverev (@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

Boris Becker has claimed that Alexander Zverev deserves more respect despite Zverev failing to live up to his potential at Grand Slams.

 

Zverev has only reached one Grand Slam final in his career despite being a regular inside the world’s top ten as well as performing at regular ATP events.

This season Zverev played a limited schedule after recovering from an ankle injury but still managed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

However most critics have been loud when judging Zverev’s career as it was looking likely that he would be a regular Grand Slam champion.

The German has failed to live up to expectations but former Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes Zverev deserves more respect.

Speaking to Eurosport Becker also said that Zverev’s father being the coach is a more than successful approach when it comes to the former US Open finalist’s career, “In my opinion, he doesn’t get enough respect from the tennis experts internationally,” Becker explained.

“They’re all talking about the young three or four, but don’t give Zverev, Medvedev or Rublev enough respect. He’s playing with his fist in his pocket a little bit, wants everyone show that he is not a thing of the past, but that his best time is yet to come.

“Surely his father knows best what is good for his son, but if you look into the box at the competition, you can also see changes.”

Becker has followed Zverev for most of his career so knows that the best is yet to come from the German.

Alexander Zverev will look to prove himself next season when he starts his 2024 season when he represents Germany at the United Cup.

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Juan Carlos Ferrero Analyses Key Areas For Carlos Alcaraz’s Development

Juan Carlos Ferrero has outlined the next steps in Carlos Alcaraz’s development.

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(@tennisnewsbrazil - Twitter)

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has analysed the key areas for the Spaniard’s development heading into the 2024 season.

 

The former world number one’s season has come to an end after a successful year which saw him win the Wimbledon title as well as winning two Masters 1000 titles.

Alcaraz capped off an incredible season by reaching the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

However there is a long way for the Spaniard to go if he wants to consistently go toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to Marca Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero spoke about the Spaniard’s development and said that Alcaraz is too emotional, “Be more regular in games, not open doors. Sometimes there are mistakes and it is something that we have to improve a lot,” Ferrero commented.

“Although it is true that he opens doors, he always competes well and at the highest level. He knows it, the other day he already said that Novak doesn’t give you one. He has to improve his decision making and he will achieve that with experience. Carlos is very emotional and that sometimes helps him and other times not so much.”

It’s clear Alcaraz’s high-quality is there but to consistently do it against Djokovic is another task altogether as the Spaniard looks to go from strength-to strength next season.

One area that is clearly a priority for Alcaraz is physical conditioning especially considering what happened against Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier in the season.

Ferrero said that will be a clear focus heading into 2024 but couldn’t guarantee that Alcaraz will play a tournament before the Australian Open, “Because of the year and the fatigue he has been in, what he needs is rest and disconnecting for 8-10 days with his friends,” Ferrero stated.

“From there, the thinking must go back to working really hard, strong and well to start very strongly in Australia. One can never be sure of that. Sometimes you play a tournament and it doesn’t go well, you left home too early. There are many ways of thinking.

“This year we haven’t played Australia and he finishes number two. That means there is no urgency to play a tournament early. Carlos is a player who enters competition quickly, you don’t usually see him without rhythm.

“Although it is true that he becomes more dangerous from the round of 16, from the quarter-finals. I am confident that the two exhibition matches and the training sessions will help us play a good tournament.”

Alcaraz will be looking to play the Australian Open which starts on the 15th of January after the Spaniard missed last year’s tournament due to a leg injury.

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Australian Open Chief Confident Nadal Will Play But Kyrgios’ Participation Uncertain

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Nadal RG 2022 by Night (foto @RolandGarros)

The tournament director of the Australian Open says he is ‘certain’ that Rafael Nadal will play at the Grand Slam even though the Spaniard has yet to outline his comeback plans. 

 

Craig Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday he hopes to receive some clarity over Nadal’s intentions in the next couple of weeks but is confident he will play. However, the tennis official had previously claimed in October that the former world No.1 had already committed to play in the event before his team denied that statement.  

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, hasn’t played a Tour match since his second round defeat at the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury. He was originally expecting to take an eight-week break but the recovery didn’t go to plan and he ended up having surgery. In May he confirmed that he will take an extended break from the sport to heal his body and admitted that retirement next year is a possibility.

“Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” the Reuters News Agency quoted Tiley as saying. 
“He wants to play, he’s obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up.
“Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I’m certain Rafa will be here because he’s not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago.”

Earlier this month Nadal confirmed that he intends to return to the Tour but admits that he will continue to experience a degree of pain. Although he has yet to give any information about which tournament he will begin his comeback at. The 2024 season begins during the first week of January.

“I’m well, training, and happy. I’m at a good stage of my life,” atptour.com quoted Nadal as telling reporters in Barcelona.
“Until now I didn’t know if I would play tennis again someday, and now I genuinely believe I will. I’m still not ready to say when, but I’m able to train increasingly longer, and the progress is good.’

Will Kyrgios play?

Another player Tiley is eager to welcome back is home player and former Wimbledon Finalist Nick Kyrgios who has only played one Tour-level match this season due to injury. He underwent knee surgery in January and then tore a ligament in his wrist during the summer. As a result, the Australian currently doesn’t have an ATP ranking due to his inactivity. 

“We have spoken to Nick, and he obviously wants to do the best he possibly can to give him the best chance to play in January,” Tiley said of Kyrgios.
“Whether he’s playing, whether he’s doing something else, Nick will be here in January and to get him to play will be great. But we’ve got to take it as it comes and he’s got to make sure he takes care of his health …” 

Kyrgios recently worked as an analyst for the Tennis Channel during this year’s ATP Finals in Turin and gave a brief update on his ongoing recovery during a segment. 

“After last year, I had such a great year, and I’m so hungry to get back out there,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist commented.
“So I’m doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”

The Australian Open will begin on Sunday 14th January. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are the defending champions. 

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