Rafael Nadal suffered a tough loss against Hubert Hurkacz at the 2024 Italian Open, but the score was a bit inflated according to him.
Plenty of things went wrong for Nadal in this match, but he didn't play as badly as the score suggests. He hasn't played that well in Rome, as his first match here was another struggle, but his opponent also played really well.
Hurkacz is having a spectacular clay season, by his standards, with some very notable performances, and it was no exception against Nadal. He was simply much better than the best clay-court player of all time, and that's why he won.
After the match, Nadal spoke about the loss, admitting that it was a tough one to swallow but also reflecting on the scoreline.
"No, I think have been a tough one, obviously. It's obvious that I started well the match. First few games, almost half an hour first two games, having a few chances and playing well."
"Then I had the break and I lost little bit the way to push him back, the way to create that much on him. In the first set I think the score lie a little bit about what the game was."
Nadal had a decent start and gave Hurkacz quite a few problems. However, once the Pole found his rhythm, it was hard for the Spaniard, because he was never able to touch his serve again.
He created many problems with his serve, and Nadal admitted that he was the better player in the second set.
"Then he was much better than me in the second. I don't have that feeling in the first, but in the second, yeah. I was not able to push him back. That's the case, no? Starts to be more difficult. Here is not the biggest court."
"He was serving well. It was difficult for me to return. It's difficult to feel yourself with real chances of come back with his serve and without being able to create enough damage to him and creating mistakes."
0 Comments