Nadal Rolls Along

In his first match after his Davis Cup showing, Rafael Nadal’s beatdown tour continued today, but this time it was on a hard court. He gave the business to German Michael Berrer by winning 6-2 6-1 in just 67 minutes of play. The Spaniard dominated the German in all areas, and even won points he should not have won. Berrer tried to come to the net, but Nadal just played target practice.

Nadal was so relentless that he wanted to win every point and every game. When the German won his second game in the first set after facing a breakpoint, Nadal was furious that he did not seize another break opportunity. That kind of focus is scary and makes one frightened for his next opponent.

That lucky person will be Dmitry Tursunov in the third round. Nadal currently leads their head-to-head 1-0 where he won their last meeting in Rotterdam in 2008. Tursunov is a much better player than Berrer, so we shall see if he gives Nadal a little more trouble.
(image: AP)