Rafael Nadal has been working hard to make a successful comeback in tennis this year. He has made a major change in his game to boost his chances of winning on the court. Nadal, while serving, has begun to use more of his arm while giving rest to his abdominal area. A video posted on X showed his latest serve tactic.
Rafa with an abbreviated service motion during practice in Barcelona.
He’s putting more emphasis on the arm and less on the abdominal area, which is where the discomfort is pic.twitter.com/QgM7dyDTfo
— Olly (@Olly_Tennis_) April 13, 2024
An abbreviated tennis serve is basically when the first two steps of a regular serve are cut out, meaning that the player would straight away hold the racket in a slanted position behind the head while he would toss the ball up from the opposite palm in front. So firstly, the strings are virtually on the top of the player’s head and then the toss has to be pinpoint accurate for the ball to hit the racket which is coming from above the head. It involves 3 steps instead of 5, which most players do.
The idea of the serve is perhaps to surprise an opponent with a slower serve, which could work in Rafael Nadal’s favor on a slower clay surface in Barcelona.
Nadal’s recovery has improved in the past few weeks. He was seen hitting forehands and rallying on the courts during practice sessions at Monte Carlo and Indian Wells. The Spaniard was trying not to move much in the court but now he has been practicing the serve regularly.
It has been three months since Nadal has played a match on the tour. The rest has put him in good shape and is expected to put up a better performance as compared to the Netflix Slam. The 37-year-old had lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the exhibition match in March 2024.
Rafa won the practice set vs Rublev 6-1, and was very satisfied with how he was serving pic.twitter.com/li93nOS6kx
— Olly (@Olly_Tennis_) April 13, 2024
A few days earlier, Nadal had reportedly beaten Andrey Rublev 6-1 during a practice session. A video of the pair rallying on the court was seen as the former World No.1 covered the court with ease. Nadal’s forehand and backhand strokes looked powerful against Rublev. Now he will try generating more speed on his new serve.
Rafael Nadal potential road to the finals at Barcelona Open
Nadal will be featuring in the main draw of the Barcelona Open for the 17th time in his career. He would start his campaign against Flavio Cobolli of Italy and a victory would make the 12-time champion most likely take on feisty Australian, Alex de Minaur in the second round.
Nadal had won their first three meetings on the tour but the Australian won their fourth meeting at the United Cup last season. De Minaur’s speed on the court has always troubled his opponents and hrcan do the same to Nadal. It could be the pair’s first meeting on clay.
In the semifinals, the 37-year-old could play against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Nadal leads their head-to-head record with seven wins in nine matches. Tsitsipas lost their previous encounter in the final of Barcelona Open 3 years ago. He recorded his first win against Nadal in the semifinals at Madrid in 2019. It is likely to be their fifth meeting on clay.
The 25-year-old is the favorite to win the tournament. Tsitsipas is fresh off winning the Monte Carlo Masters for the third time and can continue the same form at Barcelona. Meanwhile, Nadal is eager to put up a classy performance on the red dirts as he is set to play on the surface for the first time in almost 24 months.
