Crazy series despite great agony
Incredible Nadal just doesn’t lose anymore
3/20/2022 8:54 am
Rafael Nadal has not lost a tennis match this year and has already won three tournaments. In Indian Wells, the Spaniard extends his streak to 20 wins. Taylor Fritz is now waiting in the final. Nadal knows how to defeat the young American in a final.
After a lot of hard work, Rafael Nadal has made it into the Indian Wells final and is a big step closer to his fourth tournament win this year. The tennis star from Spain won the semi-finals at the Masters in Indian Wells against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz 6: 4, 4: 6, 6: 3 and now meets Taylor Fritz from the USA in the final. He had previously won 7: 5, 6: 4 against Andrei Rublev. “I’m very happy to be in the final, it means a lot to me and now I just have to keep going,” said Nadal.
The win against Alcaraz was his 20th this year, he is still undefeated in 2022. The winning streak earned him victory at the Australian Open, his 21st major title in men’s tennis. He also won the tournaments in Melbourne and Acapulco.
The match was now affected by violent gusts of wind in the second set. Because paper and towels were flying around, there were several short breaks in the game. “The problem in tennis is we don’t have a rule for it,” Nadal said. He doesn’t have any major problems with the wind and sees the circumstances as a challenge. However, the constant interruptions “make it unplayable for me”.
In the third set, the 35-year-old had to be treated by a physiotherapist on the pitch. He had chest pains, Nadal reported later. “I still feel it a bit, but there are still many hours until tomorrow. I hope it won’t be a problem.” Nadal could win a Masters for the 37th time, Fritz is still waiting for his first win in a tournament of this category. The only direct duel between the two so far was two years ago in the final in Acapulco. Nadal then won 6: 3, 6: 2.