Rafael Nadal during the match /
The Balearic came back from 5-2 in the third set and ended up winning the match against Korda. With this victory, Nadal remains undefeated this year
There is no one to stop Rafa Nadal. The Spaniard came back from 5-2 down in the third set to defeat American Sebastian Korda 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(3) in the second round in Indian Wells. Nadal remains undefeated in this 2022.
Nadal’s normally solid serve let him down in the third set and he committed eight double faults. But Nadal managed to seal the win when Korda’s backhand landed wide.
“Everyone knows this is my favorite place to play and it’s amazing to do it in front of all of you,” Nadal told the cheering crowd under blue skies in the Southern California desert.
“I feel very lucky today to have finished. Sebastian was playing a fantastic match. He had his chances, but that’s tennis ».
The loss will hurt Korda, who grew up idolizing the 21-time Grand Slam champion and even named his cat after him.
“He started playing very differently,” Korda said of the Nadal match. «He approached the bottom line. I could see that he was a little worried, changing his tactics. I just didn’t play a good game and he took advantage of that.”
Before his match, Nadal announced that he would not compete in the Miami Open, which starts later this month.
