Australian Open: Rafael Nadal versus Fabio Fognini - memories of New York 2015
Fabio Fognini challenges Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 of the Australian Open 2021. The Spaniard clearly leads in the mutual record. And yet had to accept amazing things.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Feb 14, 2021, 06:51 pm
A short journey back in time to 2015: Rafael Nadal is playing a night session match against Fabio Fognini at Arthur Ashe Stadium, it's late, Nadal is leading 6: 3 and 6: 4. The spectators slowly make their way home, after all, nothing would burn here anymore. Or is it? Fognini first wins the third, then the fourth set. Suddenly the sensation is in the air, everyone who stayed behind is “rewarded” with a novelty: They attended the only Grand Slam match in which Rafael Nadal gave up a 2-0 set lead.
Of course, the surprise shouldn't have been that big: Fognini had already defeated Nadal twice in the same season, but in best-of-three matches in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. The 2015 US Open was the last time the two veterans faced each other in a Grand Slam tournament so far. It's that time again on Monday, this time in the round of 16 of the Australian Open 2021.
Nadal has a back
Is Rafael Nadal the favorite in this game? Naturally. He has won twelve of the 16 matches against Fognini so far, including the very last one at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal 2019. If you open the large tennis dictionary under the keyword "Constance", you will find that next to the picture of Novak Djokovic from Nadal. It is not worth looking for Fabio Fognini in this category.
However, the Italian brings something with him that few opponents of Nadal could come up with: fearlessness. Fognini is still amazingly fast, the operations on both ankles from the Corona summer 2020 seem to have done him good. If you take the match against Alex de Minaur in round three on Sunday as your yardstick. With a view to Fognini's performance against Dennis Novak at the ATP Cup, there would have been serious doubts in this regard. But Fognini can take the balls extremely early, so put Nadal under pressure. He, in turn, has his back these days, but the lecture against Cameron Norrie showed that Nadal is still strongest when things get tight.
Fognini wins marathon
Again something that sets him apart from Fognini: After a really wonderful performance against local hero de Minaur, he was just shaking across the finish line. It is also astonishing that Fognini had an epic five-set fight with his compatriot Salvatore Caruso in the previous round, which was verbally continued after the match point.
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However, this may also have been due to the good atmosphere in the stands: As a great emotional player, Fabio likes to be carried away by the fans. But so is Rafael Nadal. What won't play a role on Monday: Then the stands will remain empty.
Here is the individual tableau for the men
laver arena