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Rafa's coach breaks down his victory over Vesely at The Championships
Francisco Roig, coach of World No.1 Rafael Nadal, will be breaking down the two-time champion's performances at Wimbledon for ATPWorldTour.com. Nadal hopes to lift the trophy for a third time.

On Monday, Nadal defeated Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to set up a quarter-final showdown against fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro or Gilles Simon, who will conclude their match on Tuesday after they were forced to halt their fourth-round showdown due to darkness. Roig lists five key takeaways from Nadal’s win over Vesely, and what the 17-time Grand Slam champion will need to do if he is to reach the semi-finals at SW19 for the first time since 2011.

Solid Performance Once Again
Rafa is playing top-level tennis and looks in fine form. He's serving well, returning well, attacking the net, his forehand and backhand are on point and he's using his slice backhand intelligently. Vesely is dangerous on grass and we didn't want to give him any openings. If we're really picky and need to find one aspect to improve, it would be Rafa's play toward the end of the match. We noticed Vesely was starting to control the pace, committing less errors and doing some damage. Rafa was sitting back during those moments and not taking charge of the court, but that happens. Maintaining the intensity he had for two hours takes its toll.

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Focus Factor
Concentration was key in today's match more than any other throughout this tournament. Rafa understood going into the match that if he dropped serve, it wasn't going to be easy to break back, even if he managed to do so a few times. That makes every point even more crucial. This proves that what we are working on during training is reflecting on the court.

A Different Style Matchup
Vesely doesn't serve and volley, and that allows Rafa to take command from the back of the court. There were moments during the match when Rafa could have pulled ahead even further, but he failed to do so. He knows better than to waste those chances because opponents pick up on those sort of things.

Why Reaching The Last Eight Is A Great Feeling
Making it to the quarter-finals here is a bonus for us. Now, each win is a little more sweet, and we can enjoy it that much more. On top of that, each victory gives us confidence going into the following match, and makes us believe in what we can ultimately achieve.

The Best Version Of Nadal?
Rafa was playing at this same high level last year, but he had two difficult sets in the same match (l. Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13) and that ultimately cost him a chance at the title. It's not fair to say he's better this year at Wimbledon than he was in 2017. It's a different version of himself, equipped with different tools. We've been watching a lot of video, obviously. Compared to years ago, a younger Rafa was brutally fast with awesome mobility, but the 2018 version of Rafa is a more well-rounded player.

World No. 1 and two-time former champion Rafael Nadal dug deep and played with great courage on Wednesday to edge past fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a high drama encounter at The Championships.

Both players often found themselves on the grass in an all-time great match, which transfixed spectators on-site as England's footballers played Croatia in Moscow in the World Cup semi-finals. Nadal twisted and slid about from behind the baseline, once chasing a ball and ending up in the crowd, while Del Potro produce multiple diving volleys in the Centre Court classic that lasted four hours and 48 minutes.

Nadal, who moves into his sixth semi-final at the All England Club, could not convert four set point chances in the second set tie-break, but withstood 77 winners — including 33 aces — from 2013 semi-finalist Del Potro in their sixth Grand Slam championship meeting (Nadal now leads 5-1).

The Spanish superstar, champion at Wimbledon in 2008 (d. Federer) and 2010 (d. Berdych), will now prepare to face Serbian No. 12 seed and three-time former titlist Novak Djokovic, who is returning to peak form at SW19, on Friday. Djokovic leads Nadal 26-25 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Djokovic beat Kei Nishikori earlier in the day.


Nadal, aiming to capture his third Roland Garros-Wimbledon title double (2008, 2010), has compiled a 35-2 record on the season, which includes historic 11th titles at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Nishikori), the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (d. Tsitsipas) and at Roland Garros (d. Thiem). The 32-year-old also lifted his eighth trophy at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia (d. Zverev).


Nadal needed to bide his time in a brilliant first set, which lasted 54 minutes and was full of long rallies. Del Potro was, at times, predictable in his service patterns and although he struck 14 winners, Nadal was patient. Del Potro recovered from 15/40 at 3-4, but hit a backhand into the net in the 12th game on Nadal's second set point opportunity.

The second set briefly swung in Del Potro’s favour, when Nadal committed four forehand errors at 4-4. Del Potro, who had hung in and fought hard, came within two points of clinching the set in the next game, but Nadal bounced back to strike a forehand winner into space for 5-5.

Clever service placement by Nadal, coupled with speed up the court, took him to a 6/3 lead in the tie-break. Yet a second double fault at 6/5 let Del Potro back in. Nadal was unable to return a big Del Potro serve at 7/6 and the popular Argentine grew in confidence. At 8/7, on his first set point, Del Potro struck a crosscourt forehand that hit the net cord and bounced too low for Nadal to scramble back.

Nadal tightened up his game, but in serving second in the fourth set, he felt the pressure. Having lost just one of his service points in four games, Nadal found himself in a deep hole at 4-5, 0/40, when Del Potro’s aggression counted. Del Potro struck a forehand winner on his first set point opportunity to end the 44-minute set.



Prior to the start of the fourth set, Nadal took an off-court break and returned in a determined mood to break in the fifth game, largely courtesy of three forehand errors from Del Potro. On second serve returns, Nadal stepped in from behind the baseline and managed to wrestle the momentum away from Del Potro.

Two set point chances went begging at 5-3, with Del Potro serving at 30/40, when Nadal hit a slice backhand into the net, and at Ad-Out, when Del Potro hit a forehand winner. But the Spaniard remained focused and took the pair’s sixth Grand Slam championship meeting (Nadal leads 4-1) to a decider, finishing with a crosscourt backhand winner in a hold to 15.

Nadal appeared to be the fresher in the opening exchanges of the decider. But once again Del Potro had the advantage of serving first in the set and at 1-1, 30/30, both players showed just how much they wanted a place in the semi-finals on Friday. At the end of a lengthy baseline rally, Del Potro dived full length — a la Boris Becker — to return an angled backhand from Nadal that looked destined for a winner. Nadal soon used the drop shot to earn quick points, with Del Potro behind the baseline and he earned the break for a 3-2 lead.

In a tense eighth game, which featured six deuces, Nadal saved four break points to take a 5-3 lead and edged closer to his 28th Grand Slam championship semi-final with a forehand winner. Del Potro kept working and fighting, but in fading light it was Nadal who held his nerve for a Friday blockbuster against Djokovic. At the end of one of Wimbledon's greatest matches, Nadal crossed the net to embrace Del Potro.

Del Potro had been bidding to record a 10th victory against a World No. 1, a result that would have seen him rise to a career-high No. 3 in the ATP Rankings on 16 July. This year’s champion at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (d. Anderson) and BNP Paribas Open (d. Federer) is now 32-8 on the year.

2018 could be a historical year for Nike. The American brand already lost Roger Federer for the apparel advertising as the Swiss joined forces with Uniqlo, and Rafael Nadal may be the next.

In 2014 the Spaniard signed a five-year contract, until end of 2018, for $50 million overall ($10m. per year). Both Nike and Nadal are aware that it will expire soon, and it is said, by Ok Diario, that the world No.

1 asked for a bigger amount of money. Business in tennis is at an epic level, in the last year Novak Djokovic signed new contracts with Lacoste for apparel and Adidas for shoes, while Federer signed a rich contract with the Japanese brand.

Nadal would like to continue with Nike because he feels comfortable and also thanks to the American brand he is very popular globally. Also, he signed the first contract when he was literally more than a kid. And Nike is also one of Rafa Nadal Academy sponsors in Manacor.

Nadal has been enjoying an amazing success in the last 18 months: since early 2017 he lost one Grand Slam final (to Roger Federer at the Australian Open) and won three Majors (four if he wins Wimbledon this week). It's true that he is 32 years old, but Nadal often said he wants to play as long as possible.


Nike will also have to decide whether if renew contracts with Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams as well this year. In 2010 Sharapova signed a eight-year $70 million contract. ALSO READ: 'Rafael Nadal would never lose to Anderson on the contrary of Roger Federer .

World No. 1 reflects on epic five-set loss against Djokovic
Rafael Nadal was unable to complete his comeback against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Saturday despite forcing a fifth set, falling short of reaching his first final at The Championships since 2011.

And while the Spaniard was unhappy with the result, he wasn’t upset with his own performance. Nadal believes he played well in the five-hour, 15-minute clash, but simply lost against the better player on the day.

“Normally I am very critical with myself,” Nadal said. “I hit great shots. I played aggressive. I missed balls, not too many, but I missed some ones. When you play with that intensity, with that level of risk, that level of passion, sometimes you go over.

“[But] nothing to complain [about]. I think I played a great match. I have not much more inside me. I gave it my best, and that's it. It's fair to say that was a great match and he beat me. Well done for him.”

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In reflecting on a loss, it’s easy to forget that Nadal, who has won four tour-level titles in 2018, is still 35-3 — including one retirement — on the season. He was also forced to miss the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau due to a right hip injury. So the campaign hasn’t come without its challenges.

But Nadal is content with his efforts during the fortnight, especially considering he had only won eight matches in his five previous appearances at SW19. He will also strengthen his grip on the No. 1 ATP Rankings on Monday, as he will lead No. 2 Roger Federer by 2,230 points.

Nadal

“Today was another great match. I felt, of course, that I lost an opportunity to try to win another very important title for my career. But that's it, nothing else. I go for holidays proud of the things that I'm doing,” Nadal said. “This is my second loss of the year, playing a lot of matches, playing well almost all the time. I think I did great work. It’s difficult to come back after injuries for a long time and have these kind of results, so I am proud of myself.”

There was not much between Nadal and Djokovic on Centre Court, with Nadal failing to convert on five break chances in the fifth set. If the Serbian wouldn’t have hit big serves under pressure down the stretch, or would have failed to hit a perfect crosscourt forehand passing shot on the Spaniard’s greatest opportunity, the match likely would have ended differently.

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But it was Djokovic who won the final point. And Nadal understands that he faced an all-time rival, who now leads their record FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 27-25.

“I [was] playing against one of the best players in history,” Nadal said. “[It was] a great match. I think a fantastic level of tennis for both of us. I was not a spectator, but I think it was a great show for the fans. Of course, [I’m] not happy with the final result. But of course, [I’m] happy about being part of this match.

“In these kind of matches between probably two great players, both of us playing so well, anything could happen,” Nadal said. “That's it. Today was for him. Well done.”

ATP Challenger Tour returns to Mallorca for the first time since 1997
Three months ago, Spanish legend Juan Carlos Ferrero welcomed the ATP Challenger Tour to his academy in Alicante, with the former World No. 1 hosting the inaugural Ferrero Challenger Open.

In August, another Spanish No. 1 will follow suit. The inaugural Rafa Nadal Open Banc Sabadell was officially announced on Thursday, as the 32-year-old's hometown of Manacor prepares to host a €43,000 hard-court event. The tournament will be held during the first week of the US Open at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.


The ATP Challenger Tour returns to the island of Mallorca for the first time in more than 20 years, when it staged a clay-court event from 1996-97. The tournament would move to the ATP World Tour level the following year, featuring Ferrero, Gustavo Kuerten and Marat Safin among its champions.

This year, the tournament will be held on outdoor hard courts from August 26 to September 2. Nadal's academy, which was founded in 2016, is home to 26 regulation tennis courts, both clay and hard, indoor and outdoor.

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"The tournament was born with the objective to maintain a firm and dedicated commitment to the promotion and development of tennis," the organization said in an official statement. "It will be an opportunity for fans to enjoy the quality and talent of some of the best players in the world in a great environment."

The inaugural edition coincides with the 15th anniversary of Nadal's two ATP Challenger Tour titles. The current World No. 1 lifted a pair of trophies in 2003, in Segovia, Spain and Barletta, Italy.

The tournament will feature night sessions from the quarter-finals, starting at 8pm, as well as free admission for spectators.

Rafael Nadal na półfinale zakończył występ w wielkoszlemowym Wimbledonie 2018. Hiszpan zanim udał się na zasłużone wakacje, pogratulował triumfu Novakowi Djokoviciowi.
Rafał Smoliński
Rafał Smoliński
18 Lipca 2018, 16:49
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Getty Images / Michael Steele / Na zdjęciu: Rafael Nadal

- Pragnę podziękować fanom za wsparcie podczas Wimbledonu. Nie udało się i pozostaje mi pogratulować mistrzowi turnieju Novakowi Djokoviciowi. Wróciłem już do domu i teraz udam się na wakacje, zanim rozpocznę przygotowania do występów w USA - napisał na Twitterze Rafael Nadal.

REKLAMA

Hiszpan przegrał na wimbledońskich trawnikach w półfinale po pięciosetowym boju właśnie z Novakiem Djokoviciem, który w niedzielę wygrał całe zawody. - Grałem wspaniale. Po tak długim czasie w końcu osiągnąłem półfinał. Rozegrałem wiele znakomitych meczów, szczególnie ten w ćwierćfinale z del Potro. Mam wrażenie, że straciłem wielką szansę na wygranie kolejnego ważnego tytułu w karierze, ale tak to już jest. Uważam, że wykonałem wspaniałą pracę. Jestem z siebie bardzo dumny - stwierdził numer jeden rankingu ATP po odpadnięciu z imprezy.

Nadal wypoczywa na Majorce. W mediach społecznościowych opublikował film, w którym zachęca do odwiedzania hiszpańskich plaż. Na kort wróci na początku sierpnia, gdy w ramach przygotowań do US Open 2018 zagra w turniejach ATP World Tour Masters 1000 w Toronto i Cincinnati.

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows the small differences that separate the top eight players in the ATP Race To London
Take a 50-50 battle, shift it ever so slightly to a 53.5 per cent advantage, and you are perfectly positioned to be competing in the Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London this November.

The eight best performers from the 2018 season will play in the prestigious season finale from 11-18 November, and the field has become more settled with around 60 per cent of the season now completed.


An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current eight players who lead the ATP Race To London after Wimbledon shows that their competitive advantage with points won so far in 2018 is a much smaller margin than you might think.

Top Eight In ATP Race To London: Percentage Points Won, Serving, Returning & Total

#

Player

Serve Points Won

Return Points Won

Total Points Won

1

Rafael Nadal

68%

45.3%

56.5%

2

Roger Federer

74.4%

38.9%

55.3%

3

Alexander Zverev

66%

40.1%

52.7%

4

Juan Martin del Potro

68.1%

38.7%

52.9%

5

Novak Djokovic

67.2%

42.8%

54.4%

6

Dominic Thiem

66.1%

39.6%

52.4%

7

Marin Cilic

70.2%

37.8%

53.2%

8

Kevin Anderson

71%

34.2%

52.1%

-

AVERAGE

68.7%

39.4%

53.5%

What’s interesting is when you compare each player in the serve and return categories to the top eight average, no player is above the average in both of them.

Average Percentage Points Won Serving = 68.7%

Players above the average:

Roger Federer = 74.4%

Kevin Anderson = 71.0%

Marin Cilic = 70.2%

Average Percentage Points Won Returning = 39.4%

Players above the average:

Rafael Nadal = 45.3%

Novak Djokovic = 42.8%

Alexander Zverev = 40.1%

Dominic Thiem = 39.6%

The combined total of percentage of points won from serving and retuning has three very familiar faces above the top eight average.

Average Total Percentage Points Won = 53.5%

Players above that average:

Rafael Nadal = 56.5%

Roger Federer = 55.3%

Novak Djokovic = 54.4%

The only player in the top eight in the ATP Race To London who does not feature above the average in any of the three categories is Juan Martin del Potro. But he is less than one percentage point away in all three.

The ATP Race To London is starting to take shape, but there is still time for other players to make a late season surge. The next four knocking on the door are John Isner, Kei Nishikori, Kyle Edmund and Borna Coric.

All they need do is win about three and a half points out of every hundred more than their opponents and London may well be within reach.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the US Open, we look back at the 50 champions who have left an indelible mark on this inimitable event.

At his dogged best, Rafael Nadal is perhaps the most physically-intense competitor ever to play the game. Defeating an in-form Nadal in a best-of-five US Open match is akin to running the New York marathon – while sprinting through the entire city course.

In 2010, the Spaniard cracked the code for what was the final leg of his career Grand Slam, adapting his game to find success on the hard courts of the US Open after seven barren years. Now, having competed in 13 US Opens to date, Nadal’s 84 percent winning percentage at the tournament is second only to his near-perfect 98 percent mark at the French Open.

The King of Clay has reigned over the hard courts of New York three times in his career, winning the US Open crown in 2010, 2013 and 2017. He is one of just six men in the Open era to win three US Open singles titles, a feat made even more impressive by his early-career struggles at the event.

Nadal’s success is fueled by his ability to defend and attack with equal ferocity. It has always been a lethal combination on the slower clay courts, but on faster surfaces, the onus is on the latter skillset – the ability to strike first and dictate points.

The 32-year-old’s improvement in that area and his ultimate success in New York are testaments to the relentless work ethic that has defined both his game and his career.

Throughout the 2010 tournament, much attention was paid to Nadal’s newly-bolstered serve. He added 10-12 mph to his first and second serve average speed from 2009, according to a 2013 USA Today article, and routinely clocked 135 mph on the radar gun. It was a big change from his previous delivery which relied more on spin than speed, and it immediately reaped rewards.

Nadal won 95 percent of his service games in the 2010 tournament, dropping serve just twice on his way to the final.

In the press, Nadal attributed some of the improvement to a minor grip change, but was quick to downplay the significance of the adjustment.

To him, it was just another small improvement, one of many he had made to his game throughout years of dedication to the sport.

“All my life I’ve worked on my serve,” Nadal said at a 2010 US Open press conference. “Not this summer, no. All my life.”

Nadal entered the 2010 tournament as the world No. 1 on the heels of French Open and Wimbledon victories. But in consecutive US Open semifinal appearances in 2008 and 2009, he won just one set in two matches as he bowed out to Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro.

He was improving on the hard courts, but far from satisfied. Already a legend with eight career Grand Slam titles, Nadal still had a point to prove.

Armed with that extra pop on his serve, the then 24-year-old stormed into the final without dropping a set before defeating longtime rival Novak Djokovic in four sets for the title.

After seven fruitless attempts, Nadal could finally take his trademark bite into the Big Apple trophy. The victory made him the youngest man to win the career Grand Slam in the Open era and the first to win a major on clay, grass and hard courts in the same calendar year.

After reaching the final again in 2011 and missing the 2012 event with a knee injury, Nadal reclaimed the title in 2013 with another four-set victory over Djokovic, avenging his 2011 final loss to the Serb. He followed that up with a French Open title in 2014, his ninth in Paris and 14th overall.

In 2015, Nadal dropped out of the Top 5 for the first time since 2005. It seemed years of unremitting physical play had taken a toll as he battled numerous injuries and got no further than the quarterfinals at any major after his 2014 French Open run.

Until 2017, that is.

When the No. 9-seeded Nadal and No. 17 Roger Federer conjured up a pair of magical runs to the 2017 Australian Open final, the tennis world savored the renaissance while wondering how long the 30-plus-year-old legends could keep it up.

That spring, Nadal reclaimed ownership of the clay-court season with a trio of trophies in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, with the latter being his 30th career Masters trophy (he now has a record 32).

His dominance continued with a 10th French Open title, and he returned to New York as the world No. 1.

His third US Open title all but clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking, and the only thing that was missing was a long overdue battle with Roger Federer. Despite meeting 38 times in their careers, and 12 times in Grand Slams, the pair have never squared off in New York.

Nadal’s 17 Grand Slam titles make him second all-time, behind his longtime Swiss rival, on the list of men’s major winners. But the Spaniard holds a decided edge in the head-to-head battle, with a 23-15 overall advantage and a 9-3 mark in the majors.

The pair will forever be linked, having dominated the game for so long, and being four years younger, Nadal may yet catch his friend in the Grand Slam count. But, as he said after winning his record 11th French Open title in June, he is not “crazy” about the chase.

His motivation remains intrinsic; he simply wants to keep fighting and keep improving, just as he has done his entire career.

Like with his serve in 2010, and as he simply put it in 2015, undeterred after a third-round US Open loss:

“Just improve the small things that make a big difference.”

50 Fact: Nadal holds the record for consecutive years with at least one Grand Slam trophy, as he won at least one major title each year from 2005-2014.