His legs may bear the weight of the years, but when it comes to character and the will to win, Rafael Nadal is still 20 years old. Pushed to his limits this Friday for four hours by Mariano Navone, who perfectly identified the current weaknesses of the Spaniard, starting with a backhand that doesn’t weigh enough in rallies, Nadal proved that he remains a champion like no other when it comes to determination.
Launched in a race against time to repair a body battered by years of competition, and then to make up for lost time in terms of feelings on the court, Nadal is finally seeing his efforts pay off. Far from his best form during the clay season, he was not able to withstand Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland-Garros. Subsequently, he decided to skip grass and Wimbledon, as the true objective of the season always lay on the side of Porte d’Auteuil and the Roland-Garros stadium, which will host the Olympic tournament. But to validate the efforts and sacrifices made in the gym or on the courts of his academy, he needed to test himself in competition. Hence the return to Bastad, an ATP 250 that he had not played in 19 years.
After Leo Borg and Cameron Norrie in the appetizer, the main course presented itself in the form of Argentine Mariano Navone (36th), finalist in Rio de Janeiro in February and Bucharest in April. Two finals on clay that did not make him a terror in the Roland-Garros draw (he lost in the second round), but which indicated that the boy mastered the surface. Above all, like many players in all tournaments, he could think it was the best time to face Nadal and maybe add him to his list of successes.
Navone’s Good Tactics
In fact, everything started off badly for the Spaniard. A double fault, a clunky backhand, direct errors while leading 40-0, and he conceded the first break of the match right from the first game. From the early exchanges, it became evident that Nadal was struggling with his backhand. It wasn’t effective in rallies and Navone did his best to exploit this identified weakness. In response, Nadal attempted to maneuver around his backhand as often as possible to dictate the points with his forehand. Because while the backhand was faltering too regularly, the forehand, especially the crosscourt shot, was devastating like in the good old days.
Despite yelling on every strike, Nadal managed to think strategically. He significantly rounded out his backhand trajectories before finding openings for his forehand. Simple, but effective. This allowed him to save two set points and come back to 5-5. Nadal would also have two set points in his favor, but Navone gave nothing away on his serve. And in the inevitable tie-break, the Argentine capitalized on Nadal’s considerable mistakes [7-2].
The second set contributed to bringing this match into another dimension. Nadal attacked it perfectly, finally decisive in his strikes. He pulled ahead 3-0, but Navone equalized by still brilliantly exploiting Nadal’s backhand weakness. The Argentine even went ahead (4-3). Nadal then stepped into the dimension of champions. Drawing from his resources, he found a way to break after he had thoroughly outplayed Navone in the rally. One set all and 2 hours and 30 minutes into the match, things were looking good.
“In the end, no one controlled anything,” Nadal joked after the match. It should be said that this third set was nerve-wracking. Sharper, Nadal pulled away 5-2. With a double break in hand, he could serve for the match with less pressure. Except Navone fought back for the double break to come back to 5-5. Even when you are Rafael Nadal and boast 22 Grand Slam titles, finishing a match is never easy when you lack competition. “I couldn’t stay focused for the entire match, which is why there were so many breaks,” he conceded. “At 5-2, I thought it would be easier.”
After a new break (the 10th), Nadal took matters into his own hands by serving for the match for the third time. A serve and volley to lead 30-0. A perfectly placed volley and three match points presented themselves to him. The first one was the right one. He is now through to the semi-finals for the first time this season.