'Rafael Nadal's forehand is the single best shot in the history', says legend

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Rafael Nadal started the new season with two losses in two matches, but his strategy ahead of the 2023 Australian Open is sealed. The world number two closes the United Cup, the new team competition, with two qualifiers: first against Cameron Norrie and then against Alex De Miñaur. The Spaniard arrived in Australia after difficult months, especially from a physical point of view. When asked about his conditions, the world number two's answer was clear. He said: "No, physically I'm not bad. As I said, I need to be a little faster, a little more dynamic on the pitch, to read the game better. This gives you security, the hours on the pitch, to play a game. As for the physical problems, I can't complain, I'm happy. This helps a lot to keep going. The situation is this, I have to improve. I hope it happens soon, because I don't feel like it's that far away." With the defeat against Alex De Miñaur, Rafael Nadal says goodbye to the United Cup. The Spaniard will no longer play in the competition, since Spain has lost any chance of winning the group and moving on to the next phase. Taking into account that he will not play another tournament before the Australian Open, the goal is to get to Melbourne quickly, to train for the first Grand Slam of the season. Nadal himself explained it: "I don't know. I think I'll go quickly to Melbourne. Tomorrow we play again. Of course I don't want to play, but I can't leave, so I'll probably leave on Wednesday. I don't know. I'm going to do a bit of a city tour here on Wednesday morning and then leave in the afternoon."

Nadal has bristled at constant questions about his retirement

Former Australian tennis star Paul McNamee dismissed the chances of Rafael Nadal winning his 23rd Grand Slam at the Australian Open. “For me, even if Nadal went from a 22-match streak last year to hardly winning a match in this new season, he would still go in as the favourite at Roland Garros. There’s a good reason for that. On clay, there’s a maxim I subscribe to: “The best shot wins.” Well, in my opinion, the Nadal forehand is the single best shot in the history of tennis. Better than the Sampras or Federer serves, the Del Potro forehand or the Djokovic or Rosewall backhands. It’s handy when you go into every match, on every surface, knowing you have the best shot on the court.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/W5HJRuq

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