Nadal Ends 4 Match Losing Streak, Helps Spain to 2nd Consecutive Davis Cup

PETE ZIEBRON

 

 

Rafael Nadal entered Spain’s Davis Cup Final against the Czech Republic on a four match skid in which he failed to win even a single set of tennis.  Nadal struggled in London at the ATP World Tour Finals and had difficulty adjusting to the hard court surface.  Meanwhile, he still has not won a tournament since the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Rome in April. 

 

 

To better illustrate some of Nadal’s recent woes, here are the lopsided results of matches that Nadal lost over the past few months:

 

 

2-6 3-6     v. Djokovic in Paris Masters semis

 

1-6 3-6     v. Cilic in Beiing

 

2-6 2-6 2-6    v. del Potro in US Open semis

 

1-6 4-6     v. Djokovic in Cincinnati Masters semis 

 

 

In the Paris Masters semifinals, Novak Djokovic won 13 of the last 14 points of the opening set to set the tone for the remainder of the match.  Usually it is Nadal that produces these scenarios and results against the field. 

 

 

However, Nadal had the opportunity to play the Czechs in Davis Cup on the red clay at Palau Sant Jordi Stadium in Barcelona and that made all the difference.  Standing at a pivotal 5-5 in the first set of the opening match of the tie against Tomas Berdych, Nadal would go on to win the next two games to win the set and then drop only two games during the remaining two sets to win the match 7-5 6-0 6-2.  The score line now looked like the reciprocal of Nadal’s recent losses. 

 

 

Suddenly, Rafa sounded and felt more like the first four months of 2009 when he racked up five titles, including the Australian Open.   “After winning the first set, everything change. I played longer. I played more close to the lines, having the control of the point more times with the forehand, and without mistakes. So that was the key.”

  

 

The Spaniards went on to win the tie 5-0 against the Czech Republic to claim their second consecutive Davis Cup.  Last year, Spain defeated Argentina on the road without an injured Nadal. 

 

 

 

Rafael Nadal closes 2009 as the 2^nd ranked player in the world and a Davis Cup Champion.  He will now have an opportunity to rest in his beloved Mallorca and then begin preparations for the defense of his Australian Open crown next month in Melbourne.