By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Rafael Nadal swept Aussie Matthew Ebden, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, rolling into a third-round clash with Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Seeing rival Andy Murray announce his retirement reminds Rafael Nadal competitive careers are not eternal.
Conceding he has no clue how long his own career will last, a revitalized Rafa continues to put everlasting effort into every match.
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The second-seeded Spaniard swept his second straight Aussie opponent scoring a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, triumph over Matthew Ebden.
The turning point came at 3-all when Ebden earned triple break point, but in a moment he will likely rue, the Aussie veteran pushed a virtual open-court volley out, squandering his third break point.
Asserting his authority, the Roland Garros champion reeled off 15 of the next 19 games seizing a sharp one hour, 56-minute victory.
Nadal raised his Australian Open record to 57-12 to take sole possession for third place on the Open Era victory list behind six-time champions Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
"Is a different match. Was a little bit more logical match tonight," Nadal said. "He is not an easy opponent. Have been a very positive victory for me. I happy the way I played.
"I started a little bit slow, especially on the return side, serving I think was good from the beginning. Then I saved that game in the 3-all. After that things changed. I think I play well."
The 2009 champion rolled into the Australian Open third round for the 13th time where he will face Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur in a blockbuster clash.
Fresh off his run to his first ATP title in Sydney, de Minaur fought off fatigue and stubborn Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, in a gripping battle that spanned three hours, 52 minutes.
"He’s almost Spanish too!" Nadal said de Minaur, who previously lived and trained in Spain. "I’m joking. I just feel happy that the new generation is coming. It’s important for tennis to share these generations.
“He’s an amazing talent, and so young. It’s going to be a fantastic battle. I really believe he has a chance to have an amazing career—hopefully not in two nights, but I wish him the best for the rest of the year.”
After retiring from the US Open semifinals against Juan Martin del Potro last September, a hobbled Nadal did not play another match in 2018, undergoing off-season ankle surgery.
Working on amping up his serve with coach Carlos Moya, Nadal is aiming to hit his first serve a bit flatter in an effort to produce some cheap points and take the strain off his 32-year-old body.
It isn't the first time Nadal has made serving adjustments.
Nine years ago, Nadal swept the final three Grand Slam championships of the 2010 season and unleashed a much more aggressive serve winning the 2010 US Open to complete the career Grand Slam.
Back then, Nadal said he altered his service grip slightly and tried tossing a bit more in front of him to get more of his body weight behind the ball.
The 32-year-old Spaniard served 65 percent, won 81 percent of first-serve points and erased all four break points he faced.
An inspired Nadal has been hitting his twisting topspin forehand with accuracy and ambition. Nadal slashed 21 of his 33 winners from his jolting forehand, including several superb strikes down the line.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion attributes longevity to ongoing adjustments.
"When I was 18, I did different things than when I was 12, and when I was 25 I did different things than when I was 18," Nadal said. "Now I am 32 and a half, I do different things than four years ago. Is normal things that happens in your life, even in the normal life, not only in about sports.
"Is normal that things are changing, and you do different things."