Rafael Nadal quickly found his feet. And his habits. The lively runs and spin shots quickly sprung up. The “Vamos” quickly resonated. The Spaniard (672nd player in the world), taking advantage of an invitation, beat Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 in Brisbane.
3 aces, 88% of points scored on his first serve, 2 break points converted out of 5, 4 points out of 5 converted at the net, Rafael Nadal stood out for his calm, his efficiency, his ability to convert points into strength or finesse to offer a spectacular winning return…
On the court, Rafael Nadal, after a long ovation, summed up: “It was a very important day for me. We had to fight to come back and play in front of this incredible audience. It’s very positive, the level at which I was able to play. I’m proud of what my team and I were able to do last year (…) I was nervous before the match, things went well, I’m happy.
In the 2nd round, Rafael Nadal will face the Russian Aslan Karatsev (35th in the world) or the Australian Jason Kubler (102nd).
Arriving focused on the court in Brisbane despite the cheers of the public, Rafael Nadal quickly showed that he had not changed, and that he was not returning to the circuit to make up the numbers. After carefully lining up his water bottles, his usual tic, he began the meeting at the service. Getting into his match perfectly by scoring the first point with a winning forehand, he signed a shutout.
Dominic Thiem, convincing in the first set, responded by picking up easily, relying on a big first ball. The two men continued this back and forth throughout the first set, treating the spectators with some well-felt shots, like this tweener from the Austrian who made it 4-4.
While neither of them managed to put his opponent in difficulty on his serve, the native of Mallorca waited for the best moment. The Spaniard got several set points, and the fourth was the right one. Taking advantage of a long return from Thiem, he pocketed the victory in the first round after 56 minutes of high level.
Unfortunately, the second round of the meeting did not produce the same spectacle. Collecting a new shutout on serve, “Rafa” then won his fourth game in a row by winning his opponent’s service, taking advantage of the latter’s (too) many unforced errors. A few minutes later, he double-broken, confirming at the same time that the Austrian was no longer in the game. Finally, at the end of a game in which he was never worried about his serve (six points lost on serve), he won the second set in 33 minutes. A good introduction to Australian lands.