Top 5 Points in Which Rafael Nadal Managed to Turn Back the Clock in Final Match of His Career

Millions of tennis fans were pleasantly surprised to learn that Rafael Nadal would be participating in the Spain-Netherlands Davis Cup quarterfinal tie. However, this happiness was short-lived, as Botic Van De Zandschulp required merely 110 minutes to beat Nadal 6-4, 6-4.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner’s loss has left a majority of the tennis community disheartened. But there were a few moments in the contest where Rafa displayed his brilliance, reminiscent of his prime. Here’s a compilation of the top five points that the 38-year-old won from the clash against Van De Zandschulp.

Nadal’s overhead shot from the baseline

On game point of the third game of the second set, Rafa appeared to be well in control of the rally. He began the rally with a gorgeous wide serve and made his opponent cover some ground by hitting on the extreme ends of the court. Nadal advanced to the net and played a volley. However, Van De Zandschulp displayed his athleticism to return with a lobby that landed right on the baseline.

This prompted the Spaniard to rush back and hit an incredible overhead shot. After exchanging a few more shots, the Dutch player hit the ball a bit too long.

Nadal comes up with magical overhead backhand slice to win a three-shot rally

Since returning to the ATP Tour earlier this year, Nadal hasn’t been able to pull off the serve-and-volley to perfection. But the second set’s opening game witnessed Rafa executing this move beautifully. The overhead backhand slice made this point even more special.

Nadal pulled out his signature topspin forehand

The Mallorca native showed off his signature topspin forehand mid-way into the first set. A wide serve was accompanied by a forehand that was virtually unplayable. Hence, his opponent didn’t even bother extending his racket.

Nadal did charge towards the net late in the match

Nadal, who is widely-known for his competitive spirit, kept attacking the net even when the match seemed to have slipped out of his hands. This wavering dedication resulted in a powerful smash that makes it to his highlight reel. Additionally, this point prevented Nadal to have his service broken for the third time in the second set itself.

Nadal’s forehand down the line

Rafa won merely eight forehand winners during the match. While this number is significantly fewer than what the tennis world has been accustomed to seeing in the past 20 years, each of these forehand winners was jaw-dropping.

The five-time Davis Cup winner hit a forehand down the line to seal the point. This shot even proved to have a huge effect on Rafa’s morale as he would go on to break Van De Zandschulp’s serve.