Hamburg ATP 500, Gstaad, Bastad, Newport, ATP 250

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/g5pT8BZdxUQRXQeo9

[jimlosaltos]

In tomorrow's line up we see a dream match on clay - Nadal vs Borg.

No, really. First round in Bastad, Sweden. Who you got? No word on whether Borg will play with his old black Donay <g>


filedata/fetch?id=104953&d=1721057763&type=thumb

[jimlosaltos]

Actual video of Nadal playing Borg to prove who truly is the greatest clay court player of all time!

Ok, so it's Leo Borg not Bjorn Rune Borg <g>

Rafael Nadal Vs Leo Borg Highlights | Bastad 2024 YT 4:46 min

[stotty]

Leo doesn't quite move like his old man used to in his youth, but then who does. Rafa looked to be playing ok in the clips but he's lost speed for sure.

[jimlosaltos]

And Rafa wins in doubles with Ruud -- the duo apparently died Ruudal. (Rude-Al, sounds like a bad neighbor).

ATP: "The Spanish-Norwegian duo pulled out a 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 victory against Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin, saving a match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break before winning three straight points to close out the result. A backhand volley winner from Nadal put an exclamation point on a quality final exchange that was emblematic of the level of the match as a whole."

Although Ruud is upset in singles. ""When you cannot win singles you have to try to win doubles," joked Ruud, who lost his opening singles match 6-3, 6-3 to Thiago Monteiro earlier on Wednesday. "It was not the best beginning of the day but a very nice way to finish the day for me.

Rafa: "Asked about that team nickname, Nadal approved: "I have Fedal, and now Ruudal... so both!" he said with a laugh. Nadal will also join forces with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics later this month.

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Nadal has Norrie today. Opelka is back playing after being out for a while.

[jimlosaltos]

Nadal has Norrie today. Opelka is back playing after being out for a while.

Reilly must have seen Gio Piccard's numbers and felt his "Alpha Serve Bot" status was threatened <g>

[jimlosaltos]

Nadal has Norrie today. Opelka is back playing after being out for a while.

Nadal in straight sets. Good win even if Cam hasn't actually been having a good year.

Rafa's own words: "
“I feel that in some way at the beginning of the match he was a little bit better than me, because he was winning his serve quite easy, and my serve I was suffering a little bit more,” said Nadal. “But I was the player who got the break. Then in the beginning of the second set, I was playing better than him. I had break points and was more in control, but I played a bad game and he played a good game and he broke me.

“So I said to myself, ‘OK, it’s 1-4, but it could be 4-1 for me too, so I just need to keep doing the things that I am doing’. I probably played a little bit more aggressive with my backhand, which I think at the end of the match worked a little bit better. That makes the difference. With the forehand I am quite happy, and with the serve too.”

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Nadal looked like the favorite to win this tournament to me.

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Nadal in trouble today vs Argentinian Navone, a 23 year old clay courter number 36 ATP ranking.

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Nadal wins in 3 sets, 4 hours

[jimlosaltos]

Nadal wins in 3 sets, 4 hours

Quite the struggle, but I'd guess that Rafa is pleased to be where he is right now, on plan to get match-ready for the Olympics on clay.

ATP:
The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings battled to a 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5 triumph against Navone in an absorbing four-hour quarter-final at the clay-court ATP 250. Nadal struggled to maintain his best level for long periods in the match but dug in superbly after letting slip a 5-2 lead in the deciding set to reach his first tour-level semi-final since Wimbledon 2022.

“I lost for some moments my concentration, but I was able to hold physically until the end,” said Nadal, who raised his arms to the sky with joy on match point, in his on-court interview. “That is so important for me. Let’s see how I am tomorrow, but today I am alive and in the semi-finals, so that’s very important.”

Let's see if I can get a link from the ATP site that goes straight to this great forehand. Flashes of old brilliance.

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In Gstaad, Berrenttini just took out Tsitsipas 7-6, 7-5. Both played well, but Berrenttini's serve was overpowering. His kick serve may be the best out there(maybe other than Opelka, among active players), and he wore out the Tsitsipas backhand service return.

[jimlosaltos]

Bastad per ATP: "Nuno Borges overcame tennis royalty to notch his maiden ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Nordea Open.

"The seventh-seeded Portuguese eased past Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2 to clinch the trophy at the clay-court ATP 250. Borges delivered a rock-solid performance against the 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal, and he broke the Spaniard’s serve five times en route to victory in his maiden tour-level final.

[jimlosaltos]

Berretinni wins second clay court title. Makes him a spoiler in Paris.

Per ATP: "
Matteo Berrettini wasted little time charging to his ninth ATP Tour title on Sunday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The sixth seed dispatched Quentin Halys 6-3, 6-1 in just 59 minutes in the championship match at the clay-court ATP 250. Berrettini clinched the opening break of the match shortly before the match was suspended for 30 minutes due to rain. When the players returned to court with the Italian leading 5-3, he promptly won seven of the next eight games to claim the trophy in the Swiss Alps for the second time.

It was Berrettini’s second clay ATP 250 title of the season — he also won in April in Marrakech. The former World No. 6 was outside the Top 150 in the PIF ATP Rankings as recently as March after a difficult 12 months with injuries. Now 16-6 for the 2024 season, he will return to the Top 50 for the first time since August 2023 on Monday.