Rafael Nadal continued his unbeaten streak on clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, weathering a mid-match surge from 13th seed Jack Sock to advance 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday. He will now play eighth seed Dominic in the quarter-finals, marking their third meeting in four weeks. “There is always room to improve. That's why I wake up every morning. I go to practice with the motivation to improve something,” said Nadal. “I can keep serving better. I can hit some more winners with the forehand and it’s something that I am working on every day to try and make happen. But it’s obvious that I am playing well and I should be very happy with the way that I am doing...
ATP World Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot goes behind the scenes with host Jamie Murray at the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open, featuring interviews with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
All he does is win. Rafael Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 7-6(8), 6-4 in the Mutua Madrid Open final, moving to 15-0 on clay this season, with every aspect of his game operating like a well-oiled machine. Nadal's dominance was felt all over the court, but the following five areas were where he specifically created his separation. Long Rallies Overall, Nadal won nine more points than Thiem for the match (88 to 79). The Spaniard more than accounted for that margin just in the longer rallies of 10 shots or more, winning 12 more points (20-8) than Thiem in this specific area. The long rallies also served the purpose of fatiguing Thiem both physically and mentally, especially after such a grueling...
Nadal Is Appearing Untouchable Can anyone stop Rafael Nadal? The Spaniard picked up his fifth Mutua Madrid Open title and moved to 15-0 on the red dirt this year after prevailing in an epic final over Dominic Thiem. The victory also gives Nadal his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, tying Novak Djokovic for the all-time lead. But what stands out most is Nadal’s dominance in recording these wins. The Spaniard has won 30 of 32 sets he’s played on clay this year and recorded straight-sets wins against everyone he’s faced inside the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Major roadblocks including Djokovic, Thiem and David Goffin were swiftly brushed aside. Currently at the top of the Emirates...