Careful service
Injured abdominal muscles before returning to Barcelona, Rafael Nadal took no risks with his commitments. His services have almost never passed the 185km/h mark. Which obviously deprived him of an important weapon and therefore easily won points. Its success rate in this sector has also varied greatly. Going from 35 to 65% depending on the moment of the match.
A lack of regularity
Capable of sequences of play worthy of his best years with a deep and heavy forehand but also a fast and destructive backhand, Rafael Nadal lacked constant intensity during a physically interesting meeting with long rallies. We will take as an example to support this analysis the three small points taken by the Bull of Manacor during the last sixteen played in the first round. The accumulation of small unforced errors against an opponent who gave very few free points also irritated Rafa. Physically, the Spaniard suffered at the start of the match due to the Australian's drop shots and long lateral movements from the baseline. But he managed to adapt thanks to his reading and his knowledge of the game.
Conclusion: to be reviewed
As Nadal pointed out before his debut in Barcelona, we should not expect a miracle from him. The road to a successful return may be long. The most important thing for the former world number one right now is to stay in good physical health and enjoy the moments on the court. The next step on Rafa's program is the Masters 1000 in Madrid before moving on, if all goes well, to the tournament in Rome and then Roland-Garros.
