Another strange match for Rafa that dropped the first set for the second consecutive time in the the first two matches in Paris, something uncharacteristic.
After an awkward start the King of Clay found his way to grab the last 3 sets 6-3 and get his 38th win of the season on 40 matches.
From Rafa
“I started the match probably with not the right intensity, with more doubts than usual,” said Nadal.
“The positive thing was that I had a good reaction at the beginning of the second, even if I didn’t play fantastic. I played the way that I had to play, with intensity, with passion, playing more inside.”
Next vs Fognini.
Rafa will play next Fabio Fognini that has defeated Rosol (Rafa’s nightmare) 6-2 7-6(3) 2-6 6-1. These two have played each other only once and that was this year in Rome (second round) when Rafa won 6-1 6-3.
“Tomorrow, I have a tough opponent. Fognini is a good player, player who is improving in his Ranking, improving on his solid game. He’s more serious every time. It will be a really tough match, and I need to play better than today.” said Rafa about his next match.
