Against Navone, two vulnerabilities stood out.
First, Navone had success doing what Rafa has always done: Hitting heavy, high-bouncing forehands into his opponent’s backhand, and making him reach up above his shoulder to return the ball. At times, Nadal wasn’t confident enough to take those shots on the rise, and ended up lobbing them back and ceding control of the point. That may be a tactic others can use against him on clay in Paris.
Second, Nadal had trouble closing. He squandered set points in the first set, a two-break, 3-0 lead in the second set, and a two-break, 5-2 lead in the third. Finishing matches has been a strength for most of his career, but it has been a weakness during his down periods. By the final game against Navone, he seemed to have shaken off his nerves and regained his old clay confidence. We’ll see if that continues on Saturday, and into next week.
Speaking of Saturday, Rafa will have a quick turnaround when he faces 130th-ranked Duje Ajdukovic in the semifinals. He’ll also, possibly, partner Ruud in the doubles semis. For now, the Olympics can wait.
As Rafa said, “Let’s see how I am tomorrow.” At 38, you never know.
