He saved three more after receiving the treatment, held the serve and broke Lopez to take a 3-0 lead in the decisive set. With Spain holding a 3-0 lead, Nagal would not feel the pressure as much, and against a player whose singles ranking on the ATP computers figured last in April 2015. That’s what our goal was and we did it. “He (Leander) played a great match”.
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Fourteen-time Grand Slam victor Spain’s Rafael Nadal was on a mission to India – to help his team re-enter the Davis Cup World Group – and it was accomplished on Saturday night. Had it not been for his breathing problem, Nagal was well on course for a memorable win, albeit against a player who is used to covering only the half-court in the recent years.
“It was not the wrist, no”, clarified Rafa, when asked to elaborate on the contradiction that had inadvertently emerged. “I have been honest about my wrist and (it) is true (it) is in the process (that it) is improving as I said at the US Open (it) is still bothering me a little bit but the process is a positive one”.
Nadal helps Spain return to Davis Cup World Group was posted in Sports of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 19, 2016 and was last updated on September 19, 2016. “I will now go back to Europe and play several tournaments”, Ramanathan said.
Asked if they were confident of bouncing back after losing the first set in the doubles match, Nadal said: “We played point by point, that’s all”.
The momentum was with Nagal and he again broke Lopez in the first game of the third set.
Rio Olympic Doubles Gold medallist combination of Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez defeated the Indian duo of Leander Paes and Saketh Myneni 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Nadal added that he enjoyed playing in India in front of fans who had a lot of passion for tennis.
Describing his experience in India, he said: “It is always special to play in a country where we don’t play too often”.
Lopez, who no longer plays singles on the ATP tour, was broken in the first and third games of the third set but Nagal took a prolonged medical time out in the second game at deuce after what looked like a bout of stomach cramps. Later, Ferrer completed the whitewash with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ramkumar Ramanathan in an hour and 11minutes, leaving the Indians worrying over the fitness levels of their top players.
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On the evidence of Nagal’s showing, the Mahesh Bhupathi-mentee is a work-in-progress, but with a great heart. The nerves made it hard for me but overall I leave with very good feeling of the match, he said.
