ATP Masters Indian Wells: Nadal's win over Korda - The beauty of tennis
RafaelNadal 's comeback win over Sebastian Korda in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament showed once again what makes tennis so unique. Uniquely beautiful. And cruel.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Mar 13, 2022, 07:52 am
In the final phase of the exchange of blows between Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud on Twitter, Brad Gilbert did not give any new insight, but he did give a reminder of what tennis is always about. Simply letting the game clock run out (like in basketball, football, ice hockey) just doesn't work, says Gilbert. The very last point decides. And that this is all the more difficult to win against a man like Nadal in the 2022 edition, Korda will dream of that for a few more nights.
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Because the chance of celebrating the first win in the second duel with Nadal could hardly have been greater: 5.2 Korda was in the lead, with two breaks, in which Nadal had helped in a friendly way with some uncharacteristic mistakes. Korda changed his approach in this situation: nothing. The 20-year-old American continued to attack courageously, but Nadal unpacked a few defensive strokes that only Novak Djokovic otherwise has in his repertoire.
It was as clear as the sky over Indian Wells that the Spaniard would win the match after equalizing to 5:5. Even if the game was finally decided in a tie-break. Korda can console himself with two things: First of all, he is not Nadal's first opponent this year who thought he was reasonably sure of winning and then lost. Ask Daniil Medvedev about the Australian Open final.
Nadal undefeated in the clay court season?
But it's also encouraging that Sebastian Korda brings exactly the game that Nadal can be dangerous on hard court: flat balls from both sides, taken so early that Nadal often didn't have time to stand up to the ball properly. The fact that the Spanish grandmaster still won the game only further underlines Nadal's legendary status. Not that it was necessary.
But Rafael Nadal started the new year better than ever: in 16 matches he got the last point, who would doubt that it will be the same against Daniel Evans in the third round of Indian Wells. It is now quite conceivable that Nadal will even go into the clay court season undefeated. On the one hand, because he wins matches like the one against Korda after all. And on the other hand, because he will not compete in Miami next week.
Here the individual tableau in Indian Wells
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