French Open: Rafael Nadal pulls up again after a short wobble - and in round 3
Rafael Nadal (ATP No. 5) is through to the third round of the 2022 French Open.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: May 25, 2022, 11:18 pm
The 13-time Roland Garros champion won the night session against Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6.3, 6:1, 6:4.
In front of the eyes of double specialist Marc Lopez and uncle Toni (next to the usual coaching team), Nadal started the break directly against a nervous Moutet. During the course of the match, he repeatedly scored strong points, but he rarely managed to counter the power of the Spaniard. Or was it happened early?
Only in the third round did Moutet test the form of the 35-year-old, who initially acted unfocused and suddenly fell behind with a break. Nadal then moved on, equalized, got the 5: 3 to zero, but gave his serve again. But he didn't give up, got two match points with a fine combination of pressure and the final stop and used the first one when a stop-lob combination by Moutet ended in the off.
Moutet, however, received great applause from the French fans when he said goodbye - rightly so because of the strong performance, especially at the end.
Nadal now meets Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. A duel against Uncle Toni could then beckon - as Felix Auger-Aliassime's coach. And in the quarterfinals a duel against Novak Djokovic.
The match to read in the live ticker.
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