Rafael Nadal, arguably the greatest clay court player ever, is struggling to find his form. Nadal didn’t win a single Grand Slam in 2015.
This is the first time Nadal failed to win a single Grand Slam since 2005.
His form is always up and down, particularly since he had surgery in 2014. The dip in form over the last one and half years lead to some inconsistent results in Grand Slams.
Nadal was ousted by Tomas Berdych in 2015 Australian Open and was defeated by his foe Novak Djokovic at his favourite Roland Garros. Dustin Brown and Fabio Fognini turned enemies for Nadal in Wimbledon and US open respectively.
Nadal was beaten many times from the players outside top ten last year. In 2016 Australian Open, his compatriot Fernando Verdasco shocked everybody inside the sold out Rod Laver Arena by beating Nadal. This is the second time Nadal was defeated by a player outside top 50. Steve Darcis did the same treatment to Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013.
With Novak Djokovic playing supreme tennis, the chance of winning another Grand Slam for Nadal is minimal. He was defeated by Djokovic in their last ten encounters. He failed to win a single set against the Serbian in the last eight out of ten occasions. His last victory against Djokovic was in the 2014 French Open final.
Paris has always been Nadal’s fortress. But the fortress was broken by Djokovic last year.
Even if Djokovic was ousted by someone, the most difficult thing in the world right now, it’s not easy for Nadal to maintain the level he had over their opponents. He was defeated by the current French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka, on three out of the last five occasions, including the clay court masters tournament in Rome. He was blocked by Murray in Madrid finals last Year.
It’s not easy to lift the tempo, when you are failing consistently at the top level. Injuries has been a main villain for Nadal. He had two surgeries between 2012 and 2014 respectively.
Tennis in the modern era is all about variety and technique. Nadal is one of the most stylish player with his forehand returns and strong backhand strokes. Unlike Federer, he always fights until the last ball in rallies, but he doesn’t posses strong variety in his approach that makes guys like Kyrigos and Dustin Brown to easily nullify it.
The purple patch between 2008 and 2011 has subsided slightly, and the titles aren’t coming quite as easily as they did back then. However, professional sports careers are short, Nadal has been on top or near the top for around ten years and time is running out for the 14-time Grand Slam Champion.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
He lost in straight sets to Alejandro Tabilo, less than 48 hours after being hit in the head by a water bottle that fell…
Alex de Minaur has become familiar with the lonely feeling of being the last Australian standing at major tennis tournaments - but he's dealing…
Not even a bang on the head could ruin Novak Djokovic's businesslike return to action at the Italian Open on a day when Australia's…
After a double fault saw Novak Djokovic exit the Monte Carlo Masters to Casper Ruud at the semi-final stage, the Serbian's hopes of a…
Alex de Minaur has missed out on the chance of a lifetime to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in successive tournaments, blown away by…
Former Wimbledon champion, double grand slam winner and Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 30.…
