The reports of Rafael Nadal's clay-court demise may have been premature.
Rafael Nadal's grip on No. 1 slips after second loss on clay
The Guardian called Nadal "a Spanish bull" that had Tomas Berdych trapped for an hour and a half during his 6-4, 6-2 victory over Berdych in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.
The top-ranked Nadal now has lost a total of 12 games in three matches in Madrid as he gets set to face Roberto Bautista Agut in the semifinals.
"No doubt Rafa is the greatest clay court player,"Berdych tweeted after his 17th consecutive loss to Nadal.
With each match in Madrid, Nadal has commented that he feels as if he's getting closer to his normal dominant self.
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"It was a match with a lot of intensity, and perhaps it was my toughest match in the tournament," said Nadal, as atpworldtour.com reported. "I knew that I had to go a step forward [level-wise]. I think that I did it pretty well. I played pretty well during a long time. To make it to the semi-finals for first time in the clay season, here in Madrid, is great news for me."
Nadal had lost in the quarterfinals of his last two tournaments - both on clay. He lost to David Ferrer at the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters, where he won 50 of his last 52 matches there before the loss. Nadal then lost to Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open, ending Nadal's 41-match winning streak at that tournament.
Nadal said he had been struggling with his confidence ever since his finals loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the finals of the Australian Open in January in which he also hurt his back.
Wawrinka, No. 3 in the world, appears to be the biggest threat to Nadal at the French Open that begins on May 25, but he lost to Dominic Thiem in the first round in Madrid.
No. 2 Novak Djokovic has been bothered by a strained right wrist that forced him to withdraw from Madrid. He plans to play in Rome, but he had wanted to play both to give him ample preparation for Roland Garros. That's if he doesn't suffer another setback to the wrist.
No. 4 Roger Federer also withdrew from Madrid, but that was due to the birth of his twin sons. So while he may be on an emotional high in France, he also may lack preparation for the Grand Slam.
If Nadal comes out of the clay season with his unprecedented ninth French Open title, his confidence crisis no longer may be an issue.
Do you think anybody can beat Rafael Nadal when he's at the top of his game on clay? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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