The National's Sport cover for the Tuesday, February 9 issue, featuring Rafael Nadal as he looks to recover his form with a trip to the clay courts of South America.
Ahmed Rizvi chronicles how Nadal, who looked so good in Abu Dhabi and seemed resurgent after a lost 2015, took a step back at the Australian Open.
Now he is slated to play clay-court tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in a bid to recover his confidence:
“In 2013 he made a return from knee surgery on South American clay courts and reached three consecutive finals, winning two. He went on to win two grand slams and five Masters 1000 titles that season.
“The clay courts would also allow Nadal to fine tune the recent changes he has made to his racket and strings in the hopes of hitting the ball with more top spin.
“The most important thing for Nadal will be rebuilding his damaged confidence. He has sought the comfort of the South American clay courts to do just that, so victory in Buenos Aires and then Rio de Janeiro will be crucial ahead of the two back-to-back Masters in Indian Wells and Miami.
“At the same time, poor results in South America could damage his confidence even further and could even put his career on the ropes.
“Nadal, then, is walking a tightrope and not many will be envying him now.”
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