QWhat happens next. That is the feeling that Rafael Nadal gives off every time he jumps onto a tennis court this season. His 16 victims – only Daniil Medvedev repeats – have allowed him to reach this Monday in Indian Wells the figure of 17 games won at once in 2022.
That record equals the best start of the course for Pete Sampras (1997) and Roger Federer (2018) and equal one of the most fruitful starts of Novak Djokovic (2013).
The Serbian has in his possession the historical ceiling, since the creation of the ATP circuit in 1990, with 41 commitments without failure decided in his favor. Nole reached 26 wins in 2020. The record in the Open Era is in the resume of the legendary John McEnroe. The American signed a 42-0 start in 1984.
Nadal, executioner of Daniel Evans by 7-5 and 6-3awaits in the round of 16 the winner of the head-to-head between Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka.
The manager, who did not play at his best level against Sebastian Korda, started badly with Evans. By the third game he had already given up his serve. In a seen and not seen, the scoreboard shot up to 3-1 against him.
Rafa accumulated 11 unforced errors (three double faults) and he was especially erratic with his forehand, his tennis yardstick.
The game of the British annoyed his rival a lot because his talent gave him an accurate climb to the net. Rafa reacted in time to score the initial set. He got his first break in the eighth game to tie it at four. It won’t stop there. He will add a second ‘break’ in the twelfth round to get ahead on the scoreboard.
Evans made the job easy with a double fault. He sank after having the first set on his racket.
Most matches won at the Masters 1,000
1. Rafael Nadal 400
2. Roger Federer 381
3. Novak Djokovic 374
4. Andy Murray 219
5. Andre Agassi 209
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Nadal came out like a cyclone in the continuation. He got 3-0, with the margin of a ‘break’, and knew how to manage that difference until the end. He joins Carlos Alcaraz in the Round of 16 at Indian Wells. Both circulate in the upper part of the table and could cross in a hypothetical semifinals.
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