In the second round of the 2017 Australian Open, at 19, Alexander Zverev took Rafael Nadal to the five sets. That magnificent party suggested that it would soon take place to break into the elite circuit. Few players at such an early age have shown such character in a Grand Slam tournament against today's world number 1 and winner of 19 majors . The German, who had already faced his adversary a year earlier in Indian Wells, would again approach the goal in the final of the 2018 Masters 1000 in Rome, where Nadal had the help of the rain, which interrupted the duel in a complicated moment for him. Five defeats in five games were a bad sign for Zverev, who this time managed to win, 6-2 and 6-4, in an hour and 24 minutes, in the group stage game of the ATP Finals. His match was formidable, with 87% of points earned with his first service and 11 winning points. Nadal will play Wednesday, at 3 pm in Spain, against Russian Daniil Medvedev, who lost with Stefanos Tsitsipas in the match that opened the Andre Agassi Group

The defender of the title walked with good pulse from the first set, from the effectiveness with the serve. Nadal soon resolved doubts about his fitness. He was seen fluent, but in that case it is difficult for him to compete with a specialist like Zverev. The German opened the gap with the break in the fifth game and strengthened his options by breaking again in the seventh.

Double objective

Nadal is looking for his first title in this tournament in London, where he was a finalist in 2010 and 2013. Another company is crowning his fifth season as world number 1, for which, if he does not want to depend on what Novak Djokovic does, he needs at least Reach the final. In his comeback after winning the United States Open, he stayed in the Paris-Bercy semifinals, where he decided not to play the semifinals against Denis Shapovalov when he suffered a strained right rectum.

Something accelerated in his game, entering a frontal dispute that favored the options of his opponent, was at a dangerous disadvantage by giving up for the third time his serve in the initial game of the second set. Open field for Zverev, who overcame two double faults and extended his lead. Used to percussion about the reverse of his rivals, knowing the vulnerability of the Hamburg player with his right, Nadal modified his strategy. Temperate, firm, Zverev was solvent from the bottom, committing almost every left-handed turn, bound to much by the onslaught he had to endure when subtracting. He overcame a breaking ball in the fifth game of the second set, which would have left the rest 4-1, on the precipice, but it was the night of the champion, who was not going to hesitate until he achieved his goal, without granting a single option with his serve throughout the match.

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  • Rafael Nadal
  • tennis
  • Novak Djokovic

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