If you still wonder why Rafael Nadal is the King of Clay, you have an answer after his last match in Monte Carlo. The Mallorcan had to face a dangerous Alexander Zverev that was extremely close to beating Rafa in the previous two matches, and he showed a great form earlier in Monte Carlo after he defeated Feliciano Lopez 6-0 6-4 and Andreas Seppi 6-1 6-2. Eventually, the dreams of Zverev of finally crashing Nadal sank after losing 6-1 6-1 to the Spaniard in a match that was more of a no-contest.
Nadal: “I thought to be a hard match.”
Soon after the match, Rafa confessed that he didn’t expect such an easy win. The Mallorcan commented
“Before the match, I thought it was going to be a big test for me, a very hard match. I went on court knowing it’s going to be one of this kind of matches that if you don’t play well, you are probably going to go out. But I played well. I played much better than yesterday.
I played more aggressively, and I played with a very high intensity from the beginning. I was playing much better with my forehand. I maintained that kind of level for all the match, I think. That was the key.”
Next vs. Schwartzman
Rafa will play Schwartzman in the quarters. The head to head is 2-0 for Rafa that has conceded only 4 games in their previous match on clay (Acapulco 2013).
| THE KING OF CLAY |
