Nadal excited

‘Only’ was a match in the second round of a Grand Slam, one of the dozens that Rafa Nadal has played in his career since his debut at Wimbledon 2003. But due to the way he celebrated some points against Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday, applauded with euphoria by his team, he gave the feeling that what he did against the German, Despite the fact that it was a minor rival, 30 years old and 126th in the world, it was very important and hopeful for him. From the outside, the Spaniard is once again exciting, especially because he looks agile and fast, which is the most important thing, since it was clear that tennis was not going to lose him after more than 20 years as a professional. Thus he won 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4 in 2h42 and got into the third round of the Australian Open for the 16th time in 17 participations. He will face Russia’s Khachanov on Friday., who beat the Frenchman Bonzi (6-4, 6-0 and 7-5) and whom he dominates head-to-head by 7-0.

“I play some golf (laughs)… I’ve never been a gym guy, I’m not a big fan of that. I like to do other sports, but I haven’t been able to do it for a while now, because of my foot problems. I work an hour or an hour and a half in the gym, but I don’t really lift much weight, but my family is big,” he joked when Courier asked him after the game about his physical condition. “I have to be very flexible and adapt to what is coming, with good training on the track, if not, in the gym, sometimes more and sometimes less”, he added, before saying that in ten years he would like to look like the former American tennis player.

Mobility, added to his good serve percentages, interesting parallel drives and setbacks cut with ham skill, makes a competitive Nadal already appreciated and prepared for greater companies. And that had been almost five months without playing and seven without doing it in a major. That’s how the biggest ones are, it’s what they have. Hanfmann verified it first-hand, a rival who gave him rhythm and played bravely, enough to have two break points in the first set, but not even for those reasons did he avoid the 6-2 in the first set. In the second, Rafa pressed him on every return until he was knocked down and he did it again in the third. In those two sets, on the contrary, the man from Manacor did not have to face any break point.

Errors to be corrected

In addition, Nadal prevailed in the long exchanges and once again accumulated a respectable number of winners (30) against an opponent with a good punch. On the debit, some unforced errors that were not touched and that can be corrected over the course of the games if it continues to advance. In general, very good sensations, coincident with the return of the heat in Melbourne. From that sun that gives energy to the winner of 20 Grand Slams, closer each time to dreaming, why not, with 21.

Australian Open Men’s Draw.