A week ago, on a practice court in Majorca, Andy Murray was once again made to appreciate what makes Rafael Nadal such a force on clay. Yesterday, as the Scot relaxed in his Madrid hotel room after producing his best performance of the year, he was reminded that the player he reveres as the greatest on this surface is distinctly beatable.
In last year’s Mutua Madrid Open final, Murray finally proved to himself that he could overcome the much-revered King of Clay with the crushed brick under his feet. And although Nadal is again a far more complete and confident competitor than he was on that day, the manner in which João Sousa, the world No 35, threatened another Caja Magica upset showed that there remain chinks in Nadal’s armour.
“There are things in my game that are much better just now than at this stage last year
The Spaniard finally prevailed 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 but it required far more effort and anxiety than any of the 12,500 adoring but slightly damp spectators in Estadio Manolo Santana could have expected after the pair’s only previous meeting more than two years ago resulted in their hero losing one game.
A combination of the stadium’s roof opening, an unexpected shower, Sousa’s attack and Nadal’s apprehension as he was again proved fallible in a place he was once tantamount to invincible, all contributed to the message to Murray that he is in with a distinct chance in this lunchtime’s semi-final.
“I’m playing better now than I was at this time last year,” said Murray, who can present his superb 6-3, 6-2 win over Tomas Berdych, his first clay-court victory over the tall Czech, as evidence. “There are things in my game that are much better just now than at this stage last year.”
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And last week’s couple of days of practice with Nadal may prove to be priceless. “You have to learn against the best players,” Murray said. “If you don’t, it’s kind of pointless going on the court. Players change a lot over the years. They don’t stay the same.”
Murray’s much-maligned second serve is an obvious case in point. Against Berdych he won 70 per cent of the points played on his second delivery and once again, just as he did against Gilles Simon a day earlier, did not allow his opponent a solitary break-point opportunity.
“It is easy to say hit the second serve harder, but sometimes you need to make technical adjustments and have coaching on that,” Murray said. “I had to make some changes to my serve, and I did a lot of research on it myself.
“I feel much more comfortable going bigger on the second serve as there is a lot more spin on it. I can control the serve better, which frees me up to go more on my first serve as well.”
Nadal went so far as to admit the altitude of Madrid, nearly 2,200 feet above sea level, gives Murray far more of an advantage than playing on the Mediterranean shore as they did in Monte Carlo a couple of weeks ago. The ball moves quicker through the thinner air and Nadal said: “It may be more complicated here than Monte Carlo because of the altitude, which can favour Murray’s game more. I have to give my best. Last year Andy won here, so he knows how to play very well in these conditions. Doing so well against a big player like Berdych shows that he’s playing at a great level.”
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Britain have two players in Challenger level action today. In South Korea, Daniel Evans, who won the title last week in Taipei, faces John Millman, of Australia, in the semi-final in Busan while Kyle Edmund faces Filip Krajinovic, of Serbia, in the Rome Garden Open final.
Murray’s record against the king of clay
Overall head-to-head
Nadal 17 Murray 6
Clay court head-to-head
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Nadal 7 Murray 1
Titles on clay
Nadal 49 Murray 2
Madrid win/loss
Nadal 42/9 (4 titles) Murray 25/7 (1 title).
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Three recent meetings
April 2016 Nadal wins Monte Carlo Rolex Masters semi-final 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Murray’s early offensive resulted in two service breaks to win the first set but Nadal levelled the match. Then the Spaniard’s greater aggression and control of the baseline exchanges, while capitalising in a drop in his opponent’s focus, proved crucial in the decider. Nadal beat Gaël Monfils in the final for his ninth Monte Carlo Masters title.
May 2015 Murray wins Mutua Madrid Open final 6-3, 6-2.
Having never beaten Nadal in six meetings on clay, Murray accomplished what he described as “one of the hardest things in tennis”. Nadal had struggled in Miami weeks beforehand and Murray capitalised perfectly by making few errors and constantly changing the trajectory of his shots.
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May 2014 Nadal wins Italian Open quarter-final in Rome 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
After leading 4-2 in the final set, Murray looked to be on course for what at the time would have been his greatest win on clay. Then one poor game by the Scot proved crucial with Nadal’s huge determination, physical strength and sheer obduracy on the surface wrenching victory in his favour.