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Rafael Nadal put his powerful tennis on full display as the king of clay re-established equilibrium after a rough spring to move into the final of the Madrid Masters yesterday from his 50th straight victory in a clay semi-final. |
The 13-time Grand Slam champion has now won 12 sets in a row in the Spanish capital as he looks for his first title of the European clay court season after suffering shock defeats in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open in recent weeks.
And Nadal could have the chance to avenge his defeat to David Ferrer in Monte Carlo should the world number five overcome Kei Nishikori in yesterday’s other semi-final.
“After a great match yesterday to have the confirmation today that the improvement is real is a very good news and important for me,” said Nadal.
“I think for moments I played great tennis against an opponent that is playing really well and improving a lot.
“To be in a final here in a difficult tournament at home after losing two weeks in a row in the quarter-finals means a lot to me.”
Nadal has said consistently throughout the week that his game has been improving slowly on the clay from a poor start in Monte Carlo and underlined the importance of using his forehand to dictate the rallies more than he was in recent weeks.
“The fact of being able to win four matches in a row is something really positive. As I said at the beginning of the week, I think that in Barcelona I could have and should have won that match, but I let it go.
“That makes you suffer a little bit and it makes you start the next week from zero.
“I’m playing my logical game again that I’ve always done on clay. I think I’m playing well with my forehand and defending very well. Especially when I have a short balls my forehand is dangerous again.”