Rafael Nadal has sent a silent but deadly message to his opponents as he knocked out Tomas Berdych from the Australian Open in straight sets victory to make it to is 11th quarterfinals of the event.
The Spaniard’s first title at Melbourne came a decade ago and the world saw the world no. 2 in his best form during this week as he gained a win over Tomas by 6-0, 6-1, and 7-6.
Nadal won the first nine opening games in a splendid manner despite the stern challenge form the Czech former world no. 4 player. Nadal maintained his intensity throughout the match as he closed the match in 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Nadal who has not played since the U Open tournament alt year said to media, “I always say the same when I come back from an injury. I do not expect positive or negative things. When making a comeback, you need a little good luck at the beginning because it is important for the first couple of matches.”
Nadal is bidding at Melbourne for his 18th Grand Slam title. He fired 32 winners and held firm against Berdych’s best effort during the third set. With this win, Nadal has set up a meeting against the unseeded American player Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday.
As for Tiafoe, he earlier defeated the resurging Grigor Dimitrov in four sets to reach his first quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event to celebrate his 21st birthday in a perfect fashion.
Related Content
