Victory easy enough for Rafael Nadal in the match of the third round of the Australian Open 2021 against the British Cameron Norrie. The Spaniard won in just over two hours with a score of 7-5 6-2 7-5. In the round of 16 the Majorcan champion faces Fábio Fognini in a game that promises to be spectacular.
Nadal starts strong immediately by getting a break point in the second game in which the Brit is saved (1-1). Norrie cannot do anything in his next service round with the Spaniard moving to 3-2. When everyone thinks that the set has already been decided as number 69 in the world, also favored by some uncertainty in the Iberian Peninsula, it finds counterattack and parity (3-3).
Here are a few quick games without a lot of bumps. Only in the final, Nadal places the winning paw in Norrie’s serve and takes home the first set with a score of 7-5. The Spaniard in the second set increases the pace of the game and after playing at halftime in the fourth game he finds him in the sixth (4-2).
Norrie does not worry the Iberian in his shifts and this allows Nadal to calmly manage the progress of the match. World number 2 dominates the final part of the set and closes 6-2. The third set is very balanced. The Majorcan champion tries to break immediately, but the Brit is saved twice in the second game.
The following games pass quickly and without sharp details. As in the first set, Nadal also finds the victory leg in the final in this set and wins 7-5. The statistics clearly show the superiority of Nadal who scored 77% of the points with the first against 69% of the opponent.
What really made the difference were the points won with the second: 69% for the Spanish and only 23% for the British. Nadal, No. 2 in the world, has shown that he is still concerned about the persistent back injury, while suffering in silence against Cam Norrie at the empty Rod Laver Arena.
The Spaniard won his 16th consecutive match against another southpaw by 7-5 6-2 7-5 in search of the 21st Grand Slam title, men’s record.
Durie in Rafael Nadal
But Eurosport analyst Jo Durie said: “He was not at his best.
He is not as fluid as we used to see Rafael Nadal ”. And Nadal admitted: “Of course it was a difficult match. He came here after winning a few matches. I didn’t take advantage of the opportunities I had at the beginning of each set and the situation got a little more difficult.
“Break points, I didn’t convert them. I combined some very good games with some unforced errors that I need to correct. And when you’re playing against the best players in the world, it’s normal for you to suffer a little.
But it is normal. First matches in a long time. I have already played three games that I hope will help me in what is to come. I’m happy now, but of course I need to keep improving. I’m in the second week – that’s the main thing for me now. I hope to be ready for Monday ”.