Twenty-six days after the agonizing triumph in Australia, Rafa Nadal is still unstoppable. He and Daniil Medvedev delighted an Acapulco. The expertise of the Grand Slams collector was worth everything to liquidate him in just two hours. The Mallorcan, already an expert in mastering the thermal sensation of the Mexican coast, beat Medvedev (double 6-3) in two hours of a game that confirms the 35-year-old tennis player’s unstoppable start to the season. His next rival will be the British Cameron Norrie this Sunday.
The victory “means much after the effort of Australia, adapting to different conditions, maintaining concentration and enthusiasm after an important success means that I am mentally well, with enthusiasm, with motivation”, the Spaniard referred at a press conference. If he wins this Sunday he will be four-time champion of Acapulco, the same titles as his compatriot David Ferrer and who now analyzes his matches for ESPN.
The first point of this confrontation was for a brave Rafa Nadal, only the Russian’s racket replied immediately. A round trip to the rhythm of one of the clashes that any other tournament would envy. The Mallorcan took note of the last game against Tommy Paul so as not to let the advantage of a good first set slip away and that is how he was signing it, although with Medvedev you have to be careful because he knows how to find the cracks in the rival’s strategy and find the aces . The Russian made six in the first set. 39 minutes had passed and, in one of the breaks, Nadal had already changed his shirt due to the uncomfortable humidity and the 27 degrees that were still perceived. Nadal knew how to withstand the onslaught and beat him (6-3) in the first episode in 39 minutes.
This time, the audience was divided. Support the always favorite Nadal? Or cheer for the new number one in the world? That was the dilemma in a packed stadium in Acapulco. And the Spanish took the baton again by two points. The chase to keep the fourth point of the second set, Nadal 1-2 in favor, was quite close. They both had the break point shot and slipped away. Nadal, patient in his service, kept it to placate the number one in the world. The next one was for the Russian and, as if it were a spiral, they fought again for the break point and, again, the Spanish kept it for 2-4. The next, Medvedev caught it 3-4 before the ball change. And a shirt for Nadal at the hour with 49 minutes. He was able to find the win route by breaking it from the serve. Medvedev, who will surpass Novak Djokovic on Monday as the king in the ATP ranking, will leave with the bad taste in his mouth that the Spaniard took the victory from him again. Nadal shows that he has a lot of heart, but also a lot of energy.
“The second set has been impressive, there have been incredible points. He tried to play the first set more aggressively than usual and I was fine, making few mistakes. I have played well tactically, my serve has worked well, it has been the day that my service has worked best so far in the tournament. The second set had started well, but after I broke him, and confirmed it, his level increased a lot, without making any mistakes. I saved eleven balls from breakIt’s a lottery,” Nadal said.
The left ankle, which has put Nadal’s career on the wire, has given him respite. “Sometimes I have days that are a little better, others a little worse. That is part of my day to day. The most positive thing is that I am managing it. And somehow, which is the most important thing beyond whether it hurts or not, I’m playing without limitations. That’s what I couldn’t do in the last year and a half. He played with a lot of pain and problems. I feel a bit liberated, ”he said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, number four in the world, was one of the darlings among the Acapulcan stands. In 2021 he lost the final against Alexander Zverev. In addition, he was pleased to sign the camera with phrases that seduce Mexicans from “Don’t give up” to “A egg” added to the sack of charisma that he brought with him. In the first semi-final he ran into Britain’s Cameron Norrie who had indigestion in the first set. It was attack and counterattack, point for one, point for the other until Norrie looked for his deep shot to take the partial advantage (6-4). The second set had the same delivery from the opponents. If the Greek began to gain ground there, the British twisted all his plans with good serves to give him the same score again (double 6-4) at the end of the match in one hour and 18 minutes). Tsitsipas had to fly to the dressing room because he had also entered the semifinals of the doubles tournament with Feliciano López.
“It’s a high-level victory, which helps me and somehow confirms that things are going in a positive way,” he added. Nadal, already with his 14th victory in a brilliant season, will close his frenetic week in Acapulco with this victory that surpassed the Mexican midnight.
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