Takeaways from the Men’s 2014 Barcelona Open

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 29, 2014

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Rafael Nadal's early exit was the biggest story of the week at the 2014 Barcelona Open. For most players, a quarterfinal loss would be chalked up as a solid week, but not for Nadal.

The loss marked just his second loss here in 44 matches. 

On the other hand, Kei Nishikori looked great in his first tournament back since he suffered an injury in Miami. 

His win in Barcelona marks his first career title on clay. 

Here are the biggest takeaways from the week in Barcelona. 

 

Rafael Nadal's Struggles Continue



Nicolas Almagro handed Nadal his first defeat in Barcelona in 11 years. His post-match interview can be seen above.

Rafa came into the match undefeated against his fellow Spaniard, but his typical brilliance was missing. To Almagro's credit, he kept his composure after failing to close out the match on his serve the first time around. 

Nadal has now lost in the quarterfinals two weeks in a row. This is after winning the two tournaments a combined 16 times since 2005. 

This will be his first titleless April since 2004. His edge in the rankings over Novak Djokovic is now less than 2000 points.   

With just under a month until the French Open gets underway, Nadal will have to try to regain his form at the two masters events. 

He is still the favorite to win Roland Garros, but Rafa is not the clear-cut pick to win like he has been throughout his career. 

 

Santiago Giraldo on the Rise



Santiago Giraldo's hot month of April continued in Barcelona. After starting April ranked No. 86, Giraldo is all the way up to No. 47.

His record now stands at 8-2 on the month. He has beaten three top 20 players over his past two tournaments.

Although he was disappointed not to b...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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