By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Too fast, too strong, too crafty.
Current World no. 1 Rafael Nadal of the men’s tennis quickly displayed a flawless clinic against Pablo Cuervas of Uruguay, 6-2, 6-1, in the 2020 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Cup.
The opening game for the Spanish star showed his consistency and off-season developments after improving his serve in terms of first hit percentage, firing a staggering 65 percent off first serves.
Despite battling the extreme heat and other conditions in the ATP Cup, Nadal was all business as he endured and easily cruised through the next round.
Meanwhile, crowd favorite Novak Djokovic was put through the grinder by South African Kevin Anderson with long rallies and two tiebreakers.
Despite the problems Anderson posed, the Serbian slugger was able to manage a 6-3, 6-2 straight-set victory, giving Serbia a much-needed victory in the tourney.
“It was definitely one of the most humid conditions that I have ever had in my career. Tonight was brutal,” said Djokovic.
