Nadal survives a tricky opener in Paris

That wasn’t easy for Rafa.

The Spaniard found himself in a very difficult situation against a magnificent Daniel Brands that was going for broke at every single point. The German won the first set to lead the tiebreak 3-0.

Rafa found himself in a situation similar to the one that lead to his only defeat at the Roland Garros against Robin Soderling (2009). This time Rafa found the solution to win the second set tie break to then cruise in the last 2 sets against a disappointed Brands.

From Rafa

“He was playing unbelievable. I just tried to find my game and tried to resist his fantastic shots. He played a fantastic match and put me in a very difficult situation. I’m very happy to be through.” commented the world no.4

From Brands

The German said “I was up 3 0, and yes, maybe that was the turning point, I lost a little bit of concentration after the tie-break.” 

“I think if you play against Rafa you have to play aggressively from the beginning. If you can do this, I think you have a chance to compete.” he added.

Next vs. Klizan

Rafa will play the 2nd round against world no. 35 Martin Klizan from Bratislava. 

2013 Roland Garros Draw - Men