WORLDSPORTS
DECEMBER 2013
PUMPED-UP
Nadal is brimming with confidence
IS RAF
BETTER
THAN
EVER?
R
afael Nadal’s incredible run of form on hard courts prompts the question:
have the Spaniard’s knee problems made him a better player?
The 27-year-old completed an astonishing comeback from his most serious injury lay-off, to win his 13th Grand Slam title, by beating world number one
Novak Djokovic 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the US Open final.
“Without confidence it’s impossible to play aggressively and take the right decisions”
Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach Toni Nadal on
his nephew
Clearly the months out of the game and the
pain he has endured because of a partially torn
patella tendon have been a heavy price to pay for the
Majorcan.
However, as a result of trying to shorten the
points and protect his knees, a newly aggressive
Nadal has chalked up an unprecedented 22-0 record
on hard courts this year, and seven-times Grand
Slam winner John McEnroe believes he is playing
the best tennis of his career.
It leaves him in pole position to end the year
at the top of the rankings, something that would
have been hard to believe when he pulled out of the
Australian Open last December.
Nadal finally returned to competition in February, choosing low-key clay-court tournaments in
Chile, Brazil and Mexico, where, despite winning
two titles, his form was unconvincing.
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t h e g a m e sports magazine