Nadal wins revolutions towards the second round

Rafael Nadal knows them all.

The Balearic knows the lesson by heart and he knew exactly where he should sink his teeth into Karen Khachanov, who gets a rash every time he sees the Spaniard on the other side of the net.

After all, there are eight duels and as many wins for the Mallorcan, the latter (6-3, 6-2, 3-6 and 6-1, in 2h 50m) vitamin and very necessary because Nadal needs time, filming and good feelings, and got a little bit of everything.

From progress to progress, brick by brick these Australian days, the 20-major champion grows through the tournament and his name is already on the card for week two, giving off the feeling that whatever happens it will have been a productive ride.

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“I think I have improved in everything. In court position, legs, with the backhand, without a doubt, it has been my best day... I hit it without having the feeling of failure, being able to change directions, attacking quite well. I think I've also climbed quite a few times”, he recited at the press conference. “The general reading of the game and the quality of the shots has been good. It is a moment to be very happy with the evolution”, highlighted the man from Manacor, still not knowing that his next opponent will be Adrian Mannarino (7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-5 and 6-4 a Aslan Karatsev). The French will receive a tennis player in the ascending line.

Nadal took off comfortably against Marcos Giron, raised the tone against Yannick Hanfmann in a more demanding duel and made the most of this Friday's pulse against Khachanov. The Russian, on his

day and with two valuable trophies on his record, the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy (2018) and the Olympic silver in Tokyo, has stagnated in discretion. Called to be one of the benchmarks of the penultimate batch, he occupies 30th place on the list and continues without stopping the bleeding on his right, a chronic problem that remains unsolved. He does not raise his voice, while other compatriots of his generation have left him behind: Medvedev, Rublev, Karatsev. And Nadal, aware of all this, addressed him fully and from all fronts. By land, sea and air. Without exception.

Hey Siri, define the word 'passion' 🔥@RafaelNadal • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/kXyuiwj3tw

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2022

During the first two sets, Manacor had fun.

When he was not attracted to the net to overwhelm him, he would throw the ball at his feet to force him to bend down his big body (1.98 tall) and run over him, or else he would send the ball warped and slow so that he would go in for it, and he was embarrassed with the right;

He also invited him to the parallel blow, and there Khachanov suffers greatly.

Lots of hallway.

All kinds of strategic cunning.

This is how he unraveled him in the first set and even more so in the second, although the Russian, with remarkable mobility despite his size, found an oxygen ball in the third.

He had an outburst, but Nadal immediately placated him.

Rafa still rules

(Rafa still commands), claimed a fan from the front line.

“It has been my best match this year”, valued the Balearic in parliament at the foot of the track, after a devastating reaction that put the signature to the match, the first to play this edition against a top seed and the first to the night session.

He approached at three o'clock and demanded a physical response that was convincing.

The left foot – "I have a broken scaphoid, it is a problem without a solution", he described a couple of days ago – endures and performance increases.

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The protagonist confirms it. “A month and a half ago I would have dreamed of being in this situation, but beyond being in the second week, because of the general feeling. I'll try to be 100% recovered for the next game and, if possible, do a little better, but I think today's level was high and if we continue to maintain it, we'll see what can happen”, he said; “You have to keep working, always with your feet fully on the ground and even more so in this situation. It was a special day for playing at this level. I've been chasing nights like this for a long time."

At 00.15, the Spaniard put the rubric fist up, having left remarkable figures – to highlight the 83% of points with firsts, untreatable in that section and a recital (88%, 23 of 26) in the network – and offered before a significant gesture: it had been more than half a year since he celebrated a point with his characteristic

, a sign of satisfaction and good work.

It was after a

crossed

, topspin and revolutionized ball.

Already in the sweet zone of the tournament, he will face the Frenchman Mannarino on Sunday (69th).

A set escaped him, but his game turned up the heat.

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