The hard-court tennis circuit in North America is always filled with some healthy competition. Last year’s Citi Open was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the majority of sports events either postponed or take place behind closed doors. Now Washington welcomes us back and even in temperamental conditions it is refreshing to see the crowds amass and some sense of normality resume.
A lot of attention was paid to Rafael Nadal. The swashbuckling Spaniard pulled off a narrow victory against Jack Sock in an upset which would have blown the whole tournament wide open and turned the heads of those checking the tennis odds this weekend. Nadal overturned a marginal deficit against Sock, but fell short at the third-round stage to South African Davis Cupper Lloyd Harris. Nadal will be disappointed with his performance, losing 6-4, 1-6 6-4 but safe in the knowledge he can go brush himself off and go again. Here is how he can turn around a mixed performance in Washington and gear up for the future.
Overcoming Injury
After receiving a bye to the second round, Nadal took some time to get going in his first few games with persistent injuries ruling him out of both Wimbledon and the Olympics. While there was to be no medal for Nadal in Tokyo, this time off to rest and rehabilitate, coupled with the performances he has been putting in since shaking off the proverbial cobwebs will make him a force to be reckoned with. It was clear he is still not back to his 100% best yet and spoke about masking the pain in order to claim victory. Just a few days later he was back on the court and despite defeat supporters took comfort in knowing Nadal’s pain was more emotional than physical.
“I was able to move a bit better, so that is very important, especially for me personally, to keep enjoying the sport and keep having energy, believing that important things are possible,” Nadal said. “And then I need to keep improving. It’s true. I honestly didn’t have two easy months. I had a lot of problems with my foot. I was not able to practice all the days that I really wanted, but I did as much as I could and I tried hard here.”
Comeback King
Throughout his career Nadal has shown that he is capable of overcoming the odds and mounting a comeback. All tennis betting tips had Nadal as favourite to go all the way in Washington but he found himself coming up short. This isn’t Nadal’s first setback and won’t be his last. Credit where credit is due, Harris played a great game. The South African, who is ranked 50th in the world, earnt the biggest win of his career to date, booking his place in the next round as the underdog. For Nadal it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth but also an opportunity to learn for the future.
Missed momentum for Cincinnati
Next on the hard-court circuit is a stop at the Western & Southern Open where Nadal enters ranked third behind Medvedev and reigning singles’ champion Novak Djokovic. Despite underperforming at the Olympics, departing Tokyo at the quarter final stage, the Serb will make the trip to America hungry for more accolades and will definitely prove Nadal’s biggest test if he is to claim yet another victory on the next pitstop of his American tour. The momentum he missed out on by going the whole way in Washington ahead of the Masters could have stood Nadal in good stead for a clean sweep.
