Rafael Nadal, the Spanish veteran, leaves the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open with an ‘ugly feeling’ after his poor performance against Alexander Zverev.
The World No.2 showcased some phenomenal performance at the previous two rounds, claiming straight sets against Carlos Alcaraz Garfia and Alexei Popyrin. However, the Spaniard failed to maintain his streak against Zverev and further lost to him in a straight-set.
Rafa had a strong start in the match. Even he was dominating the German during the first few minutes, but soon the Spaniard began making errors. As a result, Nadal had to lose the first set to Zverev.
Sascha is in the semis❗️
🇩🇪 @AlexZverev defeats Nadal 6-4 6-4 and will play Thiem for a place in the final.#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/AWxj9NDEe6
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 7, 2021
Rafa’s performance was poorer in the second round. He couldn’t push the German at all and committed many errors in that set. Therefore, Nadal lost to the German with a score of 4-6, 4-6. Further, the Spaniard wasn’t disappointed at his loss but was frustrated about the poor performance.
In a post-match interview, Rafael reported, “I’m leaving Madrid with an overall positive feeling, but at the same time with the ugly feeling of having played a match like this today against a great player.”
Rafael Nadal of Spain lost against Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Mutua Madrid Open on May 07, 2021. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
The German was worthy of the victory as he strikes some excellent service against Rafa. Zverev even had four aces in that match, whereas Rafa couldn’t serve a single ace. Rafa also mentioned in an interview prior to the match about being cautious of Zverev’s serves.
Rafa claimed, “He is one of the best players in the world and hits 220km/h serves. He makes you struggle.”
Nadal now has a head-to-head score of 5-3 against the German and further Zverev must have felt ‘very different‘ to defeat the ‘King of Clay’ on a clay court. Now, the Rank Six will face the Rank Four, Dominic Thiem.
Zverev’s confidence will be sky high after his first win on clay against Nadal.
🎥 @TennisTV @AlexZverev | @atptour | #MMOPEN
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 8, 2021
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal went back home to gear up for the upcoming 1000 circuit at Rome and the prestigious Roland Garros. The Spanish last won at the Barcelona Open last month. Further claiming another title would get him closer to take down Novak Djokovic from the Rank One throne.
