2024-01-05 16:09:32
MADRID, 5 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal could not advance to the semifinals of the Brisbane tournament (Australia), scoring for the ATP and which is played on a hard court, after falling this Friday against the Australian Jordan Thompson in three sets (7-5, 6 -7, 6-3), after almost three and a half hours of play and after wasting three match points.
The long-awaited return of the man from Manacor to the courts after almost a year of absence due to injury ended with a ‘marathon’, a wear and tear that he noticed in his physique, yet to reach a better level, but which, probably, could also have been good for him. to continue fine-tuning his set-up and gain sensations and confidence after so much time without playing.
The winner of 22 ‘Grand Slams’ ended up paying for the effort he needed to try to defeat Thompson, who added a great match to his fierce resistance, managing to endure the long and demanding exchanges that both tennis players underwent. Despite this and his faith to come back, he also had a little ‘help’ from the Spaniard, who missed an apparently easy ball and with his best shot, the ‘drive’, which would have given him the ticket to some attractive semi-finals. against the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
After a solid performance against Dominic Thiem and a comfortable victory against Jason Kubler, Nadal found himself in a more complicated match than could be expected, thanks above all to his rival, who was very in tune from the beginning and gave the necessary level to counter the good rhythm that the Spaniard had, especially with his ‘drive’ and with a two-handed backhand that also did a lot of damage.
However, within the equality, the first blow was given by the oceanic, who after getting his first serve through with problems, managed to take advantage of his first opportunity to break and go 4-3 up. The Spaniard’s response was forceful, a 0-40 and return of the ‘break’ and balancing a clash that seemed destined for a ‘tie-break’, but which the Balearic Islands avoided with another good game for the rest.
Thompson did not give up and continued fighting in the second race, supported above all by his powerful drive. Even so, Nadal, after saving a breaking ball, had a good chance to have taken advantage, but he did not take advantage of a valuable 15-40 or one more breaking ball in that fourth game.
With the Australian responding to his rival’s rise in level, he had it in his power to close the match and save a third set. The former world number one had match point to the rest at 5-4, but Thompson saved the situation and finally reached a ‘sudden death’ where he was against the ropes, first with an initial 3/0, then with a 5/3 and serve for the Balearic Islands, and finally with 6/4. There, Nadal wanted to rush a ‘drive’ too much with his opponent ‘defeated’ and it went out of his control.
He was also unable to take advantage of a new service, this time due to Thompson, and ended up conceding four points to find himself facing a third round and already having a hard two and a half hours, plus the humidity, on his body. The physique suffered more in the Spaniard, who lost freshness not only in his legs but in his blows and who, despite receiving medical attention that did not seem worrying, could not fix the break in the fourth game against an Australian who did not lower his level nor showed the nerves.
#Nadal #goodbye #Brisbane #marathon