Rafael Nadal wins in four sets in his first match at Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal is the first player to win the first two legs of a calendar Grand Slam. He beat Francisco Cerndolo of Argentina in 3 hours and 33 minutes, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Following victories in the Australian and French Opens, he is currently undefeated in majors this year at 15-0. It gives him 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the most won by a man. Rafael Nadal got through a tough first-round match and the chaos caused by Covid-19 to move on to the second round at Wimbledon.
Nadal stated on the court, “I am in Wimbledon 2022, and I won the first match. That is the most important thing.”
Rafael Nadal was awarded Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010, but since 2011, he hasn’t made it to the final. He beat Francisco Cerndolo in four sets on Centre Court on Tuesday, and there were times when it seemed more likely that he would be out in the first round than that he would make it to the second week.
It was the No. 2 seed’s first match since he lost in the semi-finals in 2019. Nadal’s ongoing foot problem also kept him from getting a feel for the grass after winning the French Open at Roland Garros last month.
Cerndolo, who was ranked No. 41 in the world and was playing his first match at Wimbledon, had only won once on grass before, but he was determined to make his 36-year-old opponent think and move as much as possible. He used drop shots and returns that landed right at the Spaniard’s feet. He consistently hit the baseline and hit a few forehand winners for good measure.
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Rafael Nadal Winning Game
Nadal needed a push to move up a notch, and he won it in the crucial ninth game, which ended up being the winner. At 15-30, a weak second serve got him in trouble, and he had two break points, which he saved with two good first serves. He saved two more points in the same way, and his opponent had no chance of responding to his fourth powerful serve, which gave him the hold.
The No. 2 seed kept the momentum going into the 10th game, where he broke Cerndolo’s serve for a second time on his second try to win the set 6-4 and move on to the second.
As Nadal won the match 6-3, it seemed like it would be easy to win, but Cerundolo did a great job of coming back. He won the third set 6-3 and built up his momentum, putting him ahead by a break in the fourth.
Suddenly, every of Nadal’s service games was challenging, including a long third game that went to five deuces and ended up going the Argentine’s way.
When Nadal went down 0-40 on his serve soon after, it looked like it would be the end of the game. It gave him the push he required to pick up playing once more. As the former champion got the hold, Cerndolo saw a series of first serves that couldn’t return. He then saw a series of forehands that were just as good as his service as it started to slip away.
At 4-4, Cérndolo’s body language showed that he was losing the match. Rafael Nadal quickly advanced to the second round with a weak final service game.
Nadal after the Match
“To be honest, he played so well for so long,” “Usually, his forehand is excellent, but today, his backhand was great.
“One good thing is that I played well at the end of the game. In my last couple of games, I have raised my level. There are still important things to work on, but I’m sure this match will help.”
As Felix Auger-Aliassime lost in four sets to Maxime Cressy, Nadal’s half of the draw became slightly more open. Auger-Aliassime was the No. 6 seed and made it to the quarterfinals in 2021.
Cressy, a rare serve-volleyer on the modern circuit, lost the final at Eastbourne this month. And had one of the worst draws of any seed in this year’s tournament. Auger-Aliassime won the first of four close sets on a tie-break, but he lost the next three. Including the third and fourth sets, which were also decided by tie-breaks.
The rest of the seeds in Nadal’s half moved forward differently. Diego Schwartzman (12), Taylor Fritz (11), and Roberto Bautista Agut (17), who made the semi-finals in 2019, all won in straight sets. Still, Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) and Denis Shapovalov (17) needed four and five sets, respectively, to get to round two. In this game, you can earn money by predicting who will win in the match and make bet in legal sports betting sites like OKBET.
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