Wimbledon 2022, quarter-finals, Wednesday, 06/07/2022
It’s all to play for at Wimbledon: which four players will advance to the semi-finals? Rafael Nadal is also in the draw, so the pain in his injured foot seems to be worth it. Will it be enough for the big one?
On Wednesday, the Spaniard will face someone who has never been among the top eight players at a Grand Slam.
Since 2011, Rafael Nadal has not been in the final of Wimbledon. This year, however, the question “if not now, when?” fits like a glove, because he has already collected two Grand Slam titles in 2022.
If Nadal wants the “real” Grand Slam, he has to lift the trophy in London on Sunday. Before that, there are two more tasks on the agenda, the first of which is Taylor Fritz on Wednesday. After problems at the beginning, the Spaniard seems to have caught himself on the island.
We remember a few days ago: He started with a 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 against Francisco Cerundolo and gave his opponent an incredible 18 break chances. In the 2nd round, too, not everything went according to plan.
6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 against Ricardas Berankis, actually not a result that can be considered a success in Nadal’s eyes. Against Lorenzo Sonego, he finally managed his first win, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
The 36-year-old also won outright against Botic van de Zandschulp, who did not have a good day either. Nadal eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-2, 7-6, so it was close again towards the end.
If you look closely, you will see that the third set was always the worst, regardless of the opponent’s name. Will this series continue against Taylor Fritz? In the direct duel against the US American, the score is 1:1.
While Nadal won the premiere two years ago, we experienced different signs in Indian Wells a few months ago, as Fritz rejoiced over a 6-3, 7-6. Both matches, by the way, were played in a final.
Fritz should not be without a chance on Wednesday, as the 24-year-old is still without losing a set! Has the Eastbourne title given him that much of a boost? So far, he has not been very conspicuous on the big stage.
For the first time ever, he is playing a quarter-final at a Grand Slam tournament. But one thing has to be said despite great performances: The luck of the draw was a very faithful companion at Wimbledon.
Lorenzo Musetti, Alastair Gray, Alex Molcan and Jason Kubler – there really hasn’t been a big name here yet. Lorenzo Musetti might have been the only really challenging task in the 1st round.
He allowed five breaks in the whole tournament, three times he collected around 85% won points on the first serve. Fritz, at 1.96m, is excellent at serving. But can he also use this strength against Nadal?
At the end of March, when Fritz won the Masters at Indian Wells against Nadal, his service stats were much weaker, but the key to victory was that he only broke the Spaniard twice.
Should he actually manage the sensation on Wednesday and advance, the winner of the Cristian Garin versus Nick Kyrgios match awaits him in the semi-finals. That hurdle might even be easier than the match against the 22-time GS winner.
Rafael Nadal seems to have overcome his problems with his foot. However, it must also be said: although the last two victories were smooth, the opponents were also anything but in top form.
In my analysis, I also noticed that the third set is always the Spaniard’s problem. Taylor Fritz has a clean slate to defend, not having to drop a single set so far.
Without wanting to disrespect his achievements: He was lucky with the draw, the opponents were by no means too demanding. Nadal is really in a completely different league. Nevertheless, I think Fritz can keep up well. He should definitely be able to win a set.
So my tip is: We’ll see over 3.5 sets!
