Rafael Nadal to Rome: from disaster to "important title"
Rafael Nadal secured his 81st title on the ATP Tour at the ATP Masters in Rome on Sunday. With his 34th triumph in a 1000 tournament, he again set himself apart from defeated finalist Novak Djokovic , who holds 33 master titles.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: May 20, 2019, 10:12 am
With the ninth tournament victory in Rome, Rafael Nadal also secured the first clay court title in 2019 and underpinned his favorite position for the French Open. "Nadal is the top favorite, everyone else comes behind," admitted Djokovic after the game.
“It was a great match in every aspect. You asked for titles and now I finally have one, ”said Nadal in the press conference after the final.
Nadal's performance in sets 1 and 3 was particularly impressive. Djokovic, best known for his return qualities, was never able to force his opponent to hit a backhand after the serve in the first round.
The fact that the game went into a third set at all was due to the Mallorcan’s lack of opportunity evaluation. In the second set, he was unable to use any of his four break chances, his odds over the entire match were at least 35 percent (6/17).
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Nadal prolonged another notable statistic with his Rome title. He has won at least one tournament every season since 2004 - at 16 years in a row, the 17-time Grand Slam winner is the most successful player in tennis history in this category.
A few weeks ago, Nadal did not dare to fight for titles this season on clay. After his first match at the tournament in Barcelona, a 6: 7 (7), 6: 4, 6: 2 against Leonardo Mayer, he desperately returned to his hotel room and called his performance "a disaster", as he said on Sunday evening.
He had consulted with his team for a long time to find out how he could "solve the problem in him". He spoke of a situation that he had rarely experienced before, because he was generally characterized by his mental strength. He gave Nadal remarkable insights into his mental preparation for big matches.
"You mustn't complain if you play badly or feel pain. You have to have the right attitude and good body language. Every day you have to come to the field with a passion that lets you train, ”Nadal outlined his credo.
He had always forced himself not to be too negative if things didn't go as desired. "That's why I always had the opportunity to fight back," said Nadal.
And further: “Now I am here, with an important title at an important time. Now is the time to continue. "