Rafael Nadal had one of his most forgettable seasons in 2015. He failed to get past the quarterfinals of any of the Grand Slams, won merely three titles, and dropped down several positions in the rankings. Despite his subpar form, Nadal produced one of the best return games in ATP history during his second-round match in the Shanghai Masters.
Nadal often left fans in awe with his brilliance, even in the midst of his worst season. One such moment occurred during the second round of the Shanghai Masters 2015 against Ivo Karlovic.
Karlovic had a great opportunity to bag the first set when he was leading 5-4. With the Croatian player serving, the odds were stacked in his favor to win. However, the Mallorca native had a different plan.
With brilliant first-time returns, Nadal outwitted his opponent, not once or twice, but three times in that service game to get the break back. He strategically placed the return out of his opponent’s reach, leaving the crowd stunned.
Rafa Nadal still owes us an explanation for this return gamepic.twitter.com/vgKpb807RE https://t.co/i0vnjYRK4r
— ً (@nadalprop_) October 7, 2024
This impressive return game led to Rafa preventing an early 0-1 deficit in the match. Instead, he went on to win the set 7-5, ultimately clinching the match 7-5, 6-7, 7-6.
The entire tennis community lauded the superstar for his display in this particular game. Nadal even admitted to surprising himself with such accurate returns.
“That game was so important. Probably one of the best games return in my career. Almost a miracle. Three winners from his first serve. That was really amazing,” Nadal said.
This game boosted Rafa’s morale. As a result, the Spaniard made his best finish at a non-clay court ATP Masters 1000 tournament in 2015.
Nadal reached the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters 2015
After surviving this first-round scare against Croatia’s Karlovic, Nadal used his momentum by getting past two top-10-seeded players.
Nadal defeated #9 Milos Raonic 6-3, 7-1. He then followed his straight-sets win with an even more dominant win over #4 Stan Wawrinka – 6-2, 6-1. It seemed that Nadal had finally found his groove in an unsuccessful campaign. But Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put an end to this run by winning the semifinal 6-4, 0-6, 7-5.
Usually, a semifinal finish isn’t worth glorifying for Rafa. However, this particular final-four finish was of significance. The 2015 Shanghai Masters was the only ATP Masters 1000 event on non-clay courts where he reached the semifinals that year.
