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  • Madrid - Nadal and Gasquet in blockbuster third-round clash

    10/16/08 4:21 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - World number one Rafael Nadal goes into Thursday’s match against Richard Gasquet with a 5-0 record, but the Frenchman has been in good form recently.

    There is little doubt that Rafael Nadal has been the best player in 2008. The Spaniard has won six titles this year, including two majors at the French Open and Wimbledon. He also won the Olympic gold medal in men’s singles. All of that being said, Nadal is not at his best on fast indoor surfaces; he is always at his most vulnerable at the tail-end of the season.

    Richard Gasquet has had an up and down year. He skipped the French Open completely, citing that he could not handle to pressure of expectations from his countrymen. He made a run to the round of 16 of Wimbledon, but he was defending semi-final points from 2007. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was his first-round exit from the US Open, where he lost a heartbreaking five set match to Tommy Haas. Since then, however, he has made two semifinals and one quarterfinal.

    Gasquet’s game is susceptible to Nadal’s fierce topspin. The Frenchman has a beautiful, fluid backhand, but his timing gets thrown off by the weight of the Nadal forehand. Of the five times the two men have played, Gasquet has managed to take a set four times; he just has difficulty maintaining a level high enough to beat Nadal over the course of an entire match.

    If ever there was a chance for Gasquet to post a win against Nadal, it is on this type of court. Still, Nadal is playing in front of his countrymen and he is not likely to go down without a fight. Nadal in three.

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