Devoted Nadal fans know the left-hander is one of the finest front-court players in the sport and has the titles to prove it.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion and coach Marc Lopez won the doubles gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Lopez joined Nadal’s coaching staff in the offseason and was in his box on Saturday night. Nadal and Lopez won the 2010 and 2012 Indian Wells doubles crowns beating some of the best in the world in both runs. The pair knocked off the world No. 1 doubles team of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the 2010 final.
The 13-time Roland Garros champion owns 11 career doubles titles, which is more than Big 3 rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic’s combined doubles output.
Nadal has always had soft hands and sharp vision at net.
In recent years, he’s imposing his net game at critical stages. Nadal did it against Alcaraz on Saturday night as he did in the fifth set of the 2019 US Open final against Daniil Medvedev and as he did sparking the greatest comeback of his career roaring past Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final to capture a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title.
Nadal cites his sharp net play and willingness to move forward one of the biggest enhancements to his game in recent years.
“As you know, I like to come into the net,” Nadal said. “The last couple of years I am doing more and more all the time.
“Even I do some serve-and-volley more often than what I used to do.”
It’s Nadal’s vision to assess his own game and his opponent’s game and make the real time adjustments that have been vital assets in his career best start to a season.
It’s a skill that is prolonging the 35-year-old Spaniard’s career years longer than the expiration date predicted by skeptics who labeled him a grinder whose cranky knees and counter-punching style would doom him to an early end.
Ultimately, Nadal fooled everyone. Once typecast as a defender, Nadal is showing he’s a true all-court champion.