Top seed and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is back in action on Wednesday at the Australian Open and will face world No. 52 Leonardo Mayer.
Date: 17 January 2018
Match time: Rafa is third on Rod Laver Arena. Not before 2 PM local time (AEST) / Tuesday 10 PM EST – New York, Montreal / 3 AM GMT – United Kingdom /4 AM CET – Spain, France, Germany, Italy. To convert to your local time, use this website.
Rafa has won all four of his career meetings with Mayer, who won the opening set when the pair met at the US Open in September. The Argentine is 1-25 lifetime against opponents ranked in the top 10.
| YEAR | EVENT | SURFACE | RND | WINNER | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | US Open NY, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R32 | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2014 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | R32 | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2013 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R32 | Rafael Nadal |
W/O
|
| 2013 | Acapulco Mexico |
Outdoor Hard | QF | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2012 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R64 | Rafael Nadal |
Good luck & Vamos Rafa!
Source: ATP World Tour
Mayer’s ridiculously coolheaded in this match. He goated on serve again and held in the blink of an eye.
And now Rafa answered back with a love service game of his own. Really high quality and entertaining stuff. If only Rafa had been this aggressive from the start.
Brilliant game from both players. Mayer got himself a BP by a beautiffully controlled volley and almost got it back to duece by a courageous FHDTL (again!).
But Rafa’s also too good.
3-3
It never gets old, Rara’s vicious FHDTL.
2-3 15-0
Good lord. A too good too describe slice pass from Rafa at 0-15 on Mayer’s serve, followed by another sharp-angled BHCC winner and he earned 3BPs
But Mayer served brilliantly and saved them all once again.
Aww, that’s gotta hurt. Mayer survived. He couldn’t have served any better.
Looking like another long set for Rafa.
Ridiculous ISOFH from Rafa followed by another no nonsense FH that leaves Mayer frozen on his foot.
Rafa quickly holds again.
2all
Oh no. Bad movement from Rafa at 30all. That brutal slide on dead run gotta hurt. I’m worried now. He had been avoiding those in this tournament so far but habits die hard. 🙁
Net points won so far:
Rafa 6/9
Mayer 17/23
15-0 1-1 3rd set
Another brutal BHDTL from Rafa. It’s funny it’s been working better than his BHCC in this match.
I love that sense of hurriedness in Rafa’s play when he’s made up his mind.
Great that both players get to play in the shade now.
Super BH PS from Rafa it’s ridiculous but actually expected.
That intimidated Mayer to a DF in the next point but once again he served himself out of the trouble. Credit to him.
How I love seeing Rafa wrongfooting Mayer. Rafa holds to 15 and wins the 2nd set, righly so.
He raised his serve and just didn’t miss once he got to the ball. Mayer could do absolutely nothing on return even with his good return (a super one to Rafa’s feet in the last game for instance).
Only one to go. Vamos Rafa! 💪💪💪
Rafa really steps in and Mayer has no chance to dictate.
A little window there but Mayer was so coolheaded. Rafa looks clueless at times I have to admit.
Now he has to serve out the set again.
5-4
Another devastating IOFH from Rafa. That’s more like it.
He missed the next one though. But that’s a good sign. 🙂
Mayer served brilliantly to avoid a double break. Rafa irritatingly looked at his box and said something.
Now he really looks hurried and aggressively, quickly holds his serve.
Super BHDTL pass from Rafa that kisses the line. 😂
That intimidates Mayer a bit and he missed his favourite serve and vollley to the open court in the nex point.
That’s more like it!
Yay! That’s more like it. Rafa just punished the open court Mayer has been creating very often with his risky and all out play.
40-30 3-1 2nd set
Still, Rafa’s BH is a bit too tentative in this match and his shot selection since Kooyonng has been questionable at times.
Rafa’s serve is picking up – fitting answer to Mayer’s very good return and serve.
He’s serving at 91% now.
Wow. Mayer has been passing Rafa easily in this match. Will need to check the stats.
He’s really feeling the ball today.
Great and brave play from Mayer, absolutely going for the line and creating sharp angles and he got to 30 on Rafa’s serve.
Now that’s very enjoyable to watch as a tennis fan (not so much for a Rafa fan). But I don’t know why Rafa doesn’t play less predictably and punish the open court to give him something to think about. He’s been pulling Rafa off court and wrongfooting him like crazy. 🙁
0:30 openning game 2nd set
Petchy: “Rafa arguably has the best low FH in the game.”
Rafa surely has. His spin and timing on the short, low balls are just ridiculous.
Rafa got too frustrated by Mayer’s exploiting his return position he finally made an outrageous CCBH return to break Mayer. Rightly so.