Match report

Rafael Nadal © Tennistalk.com
Stella Artois Championships
Semi final
6/14/08 1 2 Tot
es  Rafael Nadal 7 6 2
us  Andy Roddick 5 4 0
Andy Roddick © Tennistalk.com

  • Superb Nadal flies into final

    6/14/08 10:36 PM | David Cox
    Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak to 17 matches with a brilliant 7-5, 6-4 win over Andy Roddick. This was Nadal at his grass-court best, serving accurately, dominating from inside the baseline and quite simply running Roddick ragged

    He broke at 5-5 after coming close in previous games (Roddick served his way back from 0-40 earlier on) and staved off 4 break back points to clinch the set. Roddick began set 2 brightly but some loose shots at 2-2 plus a brilliant backhand pass from Nadal gave the Spaniard another break. That proved to be virtually game ,set, match, such was the quality of Nadal’s serving that Roddick never got a second chance

    Roddick didn’t get his tactics right today and that really hurt him. There were far too many shots to the Nadal forehand and returns straight down the middle of the court. The forehand is the better side to attack the net on as Nadal generally passes better off his backhand but from the back of the court it’s a dangerous strategy as unless you’re painting the baseline with your shots he can hurt you from anywhere off that wing.

    This year he seems to have added an extra dimension to his forehand on the grass, we’ve never really seen the forehand down the line that regularly from him in the past but in this match it really worked a treat, exposing Roddick’s liking for standing nearer his backhand corner ready to run round and hit the big off-forehands, and catching him off-guard at crucial times

    Perhaps most importantly, Roddick didn’t serve as well as he can do. He hit 14 aces and the speed was there but most of those came in the early stages of the match and in general the pin-point accuracy which he had earlier in the week was lacking. In the second set he wasn’t serving his way out of trouble as he can do and Nadal was able to pick it with great success

    Nadal’s tactics were simple, work the Roddick backhand, a simple strategy and the American couldn’t do much about it. Time after time he used the heavy topspin and ridiculous angles his forehand can generate to pull Roddick out-wide and off balance. In Dubai, Nadal lost the baseline battle quite convincingly, today he won it emphatically. Nadal’s serving helped his cause a lot, he doesn’t have the raw power of the Roddick delivery but the placement is so spot-on he still gets so many cheap points

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