With A New Racquet, Rafael Nadal Began His Clay Campaign By Playing What He Called His Best Match Of The Year
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After a tough start to the season, maybe Rafael Nadal really is finding his footing on his favorite red clay. Nadal, who has just won title since the French Open, began this European clay season with a crushing 62, 61 win over Lucas Pouille, calling the win one his of best performances of the year.
“Today, I played solidly,” said Nadal. “Today, I played with no mistakes in a row. I played aggressively when I had to play aggressive. I hit some good passing shots than [in] the past couple of months. [It is] a thing that I haven’t been doing very well.
“I will go back to the hotel with [a] fantastic feeling, because I played probably the best match of the year for me… I played with the right mentality [and] the right concentration.”
Is this exactly the match and the message (to his rivals) Nadal needed?
Nadal is also playing with a new colored, black-out racquet this week. Is he testing a new frame, as and he and Babolat suggest, or is it just an old racquet painted for marketing purposes?
“With this new racket, I have less control,” Nadal said of the racquet. “Not today. In theory I have less control. In theory I have more power and more spin.”
Nadal, an 8-time Monte Carlo champion, will face the big serving force John Isner in the third round tomorrow. The American took Rafa to 5 sets at the French Open in 2011.
“He is a very dangerous player on any surface, because his serve works well on clay, hard, indoor, everywhere.”
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