Rafael Nadal: 'To chase title, I have to improve this element of my game..'

A month after clinching the 20th Major title in Paris, world no. 2 Rafael Nadal is back at the French capital, seeking the Paris Masters crown as the top seed. Rafa will compete in the fifth semi-final at the last Masters 1000 event of the season following a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 triumph over a compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta. Nadal has been struggling with return in his first three matches in Paris, delivering six breaks in eight sets and working hard in the closing stages of the second set against Lopez and Carreno Busta to prevail and stay in the event. Breaking Pablo's resistance only in the second set's final games, Rafa praised the younger compatriot and the way he served and stayed aggressive. The 20-time Major champion said he couldn't do anything on the return for a set and a half, unable to find the range and allowing Pablo to dominate with the first groundstroke after the initial shot.

Nadal is also aware he will have to improve his return in the last two matches if he wants to fight for the title, starting from the semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev on Saturday. Making the strongest start, Carreno Busta dropped five points in his games in the opening set, mounting the pressure on Rafa and earning a break in game seven that carried him over the top.

Rafael Nadal scored six breaks in three encounters in Paris this week.

The younger Spaniard had the opportunity to move closer to the finish line and beat Rafa for the first time in the first game of the second set, wasting three break chances and allowing Nadal to recover his shots and serve well in the rest of the encounter. Rafa grabbed a break at 6-5 with two forehand down the line winners, gathering momentum and sailing past Carreno Busta in the decider after a double break for the 74th Masters 1000 semi-final. 

"Pablo played at a high level at the beginning of the match, like against other rivals from the top recently. He produced one good serve after another, leaving me with no chances. Serving like that, you feel more freedom to attack, and that was precisely the case. He did many things well, and I have to give him credit for aggressive tennis. In general, my serve has been working well in Paris, but I have to return better to have more options. Pablo's first stroke after the serve was always comfortable, and he didn't make errors. Finally, I found a more suitable position on the return in the middle of the second set and started to put pressure on him from there and draw more mistakes. I overpowered him at the end of the second set, and everything went great for me in the decider," Rafael Nadal said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/38erQDw