When all was said and done at the conclusion of the event, Rafael Nadal did more than just bid the Madrid Open farewell.
Given the conditions, Nadal’s progression to the second week of the event was nothing short of remarkable. In his first match, he easily defeated his lowest-ranked opponent to date, American adolescent Darwin Blanch, thanks to the luck of the draw.
He arranged for Alex de Minaur and Barcelona to face off again. Nadal faced the nimble-footed Australian with more steel in his armor this time around. The prospect of watching their great champion lose to the same opponent in a tournament for the second time in a row was definitely not entertained by the Madrid fans.
Nadal performed as expected, with better serve numbers and speeds. He won handily against the 10th seed because of his more fluid movement and variable stroke selection.
Nonetheless, the five-time champion suffered severe physical and mental damage with a three-set victory over Pedro Cachin in the following round. He cautioned that he might not be able to handle the heavier ball used by Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round.
Nadal was right when he said that Lehecka emerged with her head held high. The 37-year-old engaged in an intensely emotional duel. Despite his unwavering will to triumph, the 22-time Grand Slam champion lost in straight sets.
However, there was one contentious Hawkeye challenge call throughout the match. This technique is new to the Madrid Open. When Nadal called in a Lehecka serve, he exposed the weaknesses in the system on the clay courts.
According to Hawkeye, the Czech player’s first serve of the second set had just missed the line by a millimeter. However, the ball clearly marks the clay where it comes into contact with the surface. The ball was clearly out when viewed in real time.
Nadal engaged the chair umpire, who upheld the technological ruling with a wry smile, unable to believe the outcome of the line-calling system. Watch the video below to see the call and Nadal’s response.
Leave a Reply