The 21 time grand slam winner in an unexpected form has turned back the clock as he cruised past the current and new world no 1, Daniil Medvedev.
The Russian was favoured over Nadal after his brilliant form and almost winning against the Spaniard in the Australian Open finals, however Nadal dominated right out of the gate.
The King of Clay broke Medvedev’s service early on at 2-1 in the first set and it was Rafael Nadal the entire way since then. Nadal showed off his insane stamina and adaptation as he took everything Medvedev threw at him.
As he took the first set 6-3, the two started the journey again in the second set as both wanted to break each other’s serve. Unlike any grand slams, these matches are best of 3 sets, which gives players lesser opportunities to equal scores after a major service break. That’s what happened as Nadal broke Medvedev’s serve again in the second set at 3-2 and didn’t give Daniil any chance to get back in the match.
The Spaniard dominated the World no. 1 with his predictive plays and won the match 6-3, 6-3 as he continued his best opening to a season in his long and legendary career. He now stands at 14 wins with the finals of the Mexican Open next. The finals will be played today as Nadal will face Norrie who beat Tsitsipas in a shocker of a match.
Nadal after his match even mentioned proudly, how he beat the world no. 1 on his favourite surface, which is a sign that things have been going well since the start of his season back in Australia.