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Rafael Nadal’s Greatness: How He Systematically Demolished Marin Cilic in Oz
Published: January 24, 2011
Nadal spent a little over two-and-a-half hours on court, methodically picking Cilic apart with a game plan that was as brilliantly devised as it was executed.
Nadal's strategy can really be explained in four steps.
Serve efficiently and make a high percentage of first serves. Utilize the body serve to neutralize Cilic in the ad court or serve out wide to the backhand. Step inside the baseline to return second serves in the deuce court, but stay back on the second serves in the ad court. Approach the net off the forehand or when Cilic returns the ball short. Nadal executed these points perfectly. Here are some specific graphics I made to illustrate what Nadal was able to do and how well he stuck to his game plan.
First Set
The image on the left shows where Nadal hit the first serve returns, while the one on the right illustrates how aggressive he was attacking the second serve. It shows that Nadal was much more worried about the serve out wide on the ad court, and by staying back he knew he could attack it with his topspin forehand to get the return deep.
There was one point in particular in this first set that, for me, shows Nadal's greatness. It combines his ability to return on the backhand, his lateral movement, his explosive speed and his touch at the net.
Cilic was serving at deuce at 1-3 in the set.
Nadal loops the backhand return back deep inside the court, but Cilic has time to run around to his forehand and unleash a bullet cross court. Nadal goes side-to-side and hits a forehand at full stretch, but Cilic moved inside the baseline and played a great drop shot.
Nadal already took three small steps back toward the middle of the court after trac...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis
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