Very easy victory for Rafael Nadal in the third round match of the Australian Open 2021 against the British Cameron Norrie. The Spaniard won in just over two hours with a score of 7-5 6-2 7-5. In the round of 16, Mallorcan champion Fabio Fognini will take on the fight for a match that promises to be extremely spectacular.
Nadal immediately starts strong by getting a break point in the second game on which the Brit is saved (1-1). Norrie can do nothing in her next round of service while the Spaniard moves to 3-2. If everyone thinks that the set has already been decided as number 69 in the world, and is also favored by some uncertainty among the Iberian, he finds the break and parity (3-3).
Here are some quick games and without too many jerks. Just in the final, Nadal puts the winning leg on Norrie’s serve and takes the first set home with a score of 7-5. The Spaniard in the second set increases the pace of his game and after touching the half-time break in the fourth game, he finds himself in the sixth (4-2).
Norrie does not worry the Iberian in his innings, and this allows Nadal to calmly manage the progress of the match. The world number 2 dominates the last part of the series and finishes 6-2. The third set is very balanced. The Mallorcan champion immediately tries to break, but the Briton is saved twice in the second match.
The following games run fast and without sharp details. As happened in the first set, Nadal also finds the winning leg in the final in this series and wins 7-5. The statistics clearly show the superiority of Nadal who scored 77% of the points with the former versus 69% of the opponent.
What really made the difference was the points scored with the second: 69% for the Spaniard and only 23% for the British. World no. 2 Nadal showed he was still worried about his lingering back injury when he picked up in silence against Cam Norrie in the empty Rod Laver Arena.
The Spaniard wins his 16th consecutive game against a left-handed 7-5 6-2 7-5 in the pursuit of a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title.
Durie on Rafael Nadal
But Jo Durie, Eurosport’s analyst, said: ‘He was not at his best.
He is not as free-flowing as we usually see Rafael Nadal ”. And Nadal admitted: ‘Of course it was a tough match. He came here after winning a few games. I did not take advantage of the opportunities I had at the beginning of each set, and the situation became a little more difficult.
‘Breakpoints, I did not convert it. I combined a lot of good games with some unforced errors that I need to fix. And if you’re playing against the best players in the world, it’s normal that you’ll suffer a little.
But this is normal. First matches in a long time. I have now had three games that I hope will help me for what is to come. I’m happy now, but of course I have to keep improving. I’m in the second week – that’s the most important thing for me right now. I hope to be ready for Monday ”.