Article

  • Madrid - Rafael Nadal back in action on Tuesday night against Gulbis

    10/14/08 4:08 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - World number one Rafael Nadal faces a stern test in his first match in front of his home crowd in the form of Latvian star Ernests Gulbis.

    Rafael Nadal has had the year of his career - which is saying something considering the career the young Spaniard has forged for himself already. He has won a tour-topping seven tournaments in 2008, including the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal. He comes into Madrid off a semifinal appearance at the US Open, his best result ever at the final Grand Slam of the year.

    His opening match in Madrid is against youngster Ernests Gulbis. The Latvian is ranked 53 spots below the top-ranked Nadal, but he is no easy matchup for the Spaniard. They have played only once, but it was this year at Wimbledon, where Gulbis took a set before going down in four. The problem for Gulbis is not a lack of talent, but more that he is still inconsistent. Since reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, Gulbis has been ousted in the second round of every tournament he has played.

    Expect Nadal to pounce on Gulbis’ inconsistencies. The Latvian’s ground trokes have a tendency to drift on him during a match sometimes. Nadal will exploit this weakness by hitting deep to Gulbis’ backhand over and over until he draws an error. Gulbis might be able to take a set, but in the end this should be Nadal’s match.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password: