"It's about time" - Nadal after Fritz defeat in Turin

| by Zlatko Vodenicharov

Rafael Nadal was bombarded by Fritz in their Turin clash struggling heavily against both the serve and the groundstrokes.

Nadal isn't greatly aided by Turin's faster court speed compared to Paris' because it gives him less time to react and execute his shots. Additionally, it helps younger players with an aggressive tennis playstyle like Fritz.

“It's about time,” said Nadal. “Tennis and the sport in general, it's about time. I have less time than him to do what I want to do on the ball. I felt that everything was going so fast. When that happens, normally you are under stress, and you don't have the time to play the kind of shot that you want.”

18th time the charm for Rafael Nadal at ATP Finals?
18th time the charm for Rafael Nadal at ATP Finals?

Fritz took use of the conditions well taking the ball very early and forcing Nadal into a defensive position.

“In most of the points of the match, I was in a defensive position, and he was in an offensive position,” explained Nadal.

"That's what happened… But every single time I came back from injury, [it’s not normal] playing against top players [from] the first day. That's what's happens when you are coming back playing Masters 1000s and [the Nitto ATP Finals].”

He isn't too concerned with the defeat as this event is mostly for him to get used to playing the best again after missing a lot of time recently.

QUIZ: Can you name all opponents that Emma Raducanu defeated in 2022?
QUIZ: Can you name all opponents that Emma Raducanu defeated in 2022?

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