Madrid Masters 2021: Rafael Nadal ousted by Alexander Zverev in quarters

Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis great who has 20 Grand Slams to his name, besides winning 13 French Open titles. He has also won the Madrid Masters on record five occasions. Alexander Zverev hails from Germany and is currently ranked sixth in the world.

Spanish tennis legend and reigning world number two Rafael Nadal suffered an upset after he crashed out in the quarters of the Madrid Masters 2021. He sustained a straight-set (6-4, 6-4) defeat to world number six, Alexander Zverev of Germany.

The match turned out to be a thriller, as the German rallied a comeback after being 2-4 down in the opening set. It was Zverev’s first win over Nadal on clay, while it was also the former’s third consecutive win over the Spaniard.

As for the game, although Nadal claimed the opening break in the first set to lead 3-2, Zverev utilised successively passing shots, besides using his cross-court forehand to frustrate the Spaniard and claim the opening set. In the second, Zvered was able to counter Nadal’s heavy serves, followed by his cross-court forehands from inside the baseline, as Nadal barely had an answer for the German.

“Definitely one of the biggest wins of my career so far, especially on clay against Rafa. It is the toughest thing to do in our sport. Beating him in his house, in Spain, is incredible, but the tournament is not over yet,” said Zverev following the win.

“I had the match under control at the beginning, playing well for six games, probably playing better than him. In the 4-2, serving for 5-2, I [had] a disaster. Another bad game with my game 30/0. Of course, playing against one of the best players of the world, under these circumstances, with this speed of the court, is very difficult to still [feel] confident. I tried, [but it] is true that the serve was difficult to control today. Well done [to] him,” said Nadal later.

Meanwhile, Zverev would take on world number four and third seed Dominic Thiem of Austria in the semis. The latter owns an 8-2 lead over the former, including a 4-1 lead on clay.

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona