Rafael Nadal and Philipp Kohlschreiber will be facing each other for the 15th time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the fourth round of the Miami Open on Sunday.
Nadal is dominating the head-to-head series 13-1, including 7-0 on hard courts. Kohlschreiber’s lone victory came when Nadal is often at his most vulnerable–the week immediately following a French Open title when the surface changes from clay to grass. At the 2012 Halle tournament, right after the Spaniard captured a seventh title at Roland Garros, Kohlschreiber cruised 6-3, 6-4 in a quarterfinal showdown. Nadal has since reeled off five wins in a row, most recently prevailing 6-3, 6-3 on the red clay of Rome last spring.
With Roger Federer–who took down Nadal in the Australian Open final and at the Indian Wells Masters–on the opposite side of the draw and potential fourth-round foe Grigor Dimitrov also out, Nadal should be in good shape to go for a while in Miami. The world No. 7 got off to a decent enough start on Friday afternoon, when he beat Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-4 without dropping serve.
In typical Kohlschreiber fashion, the 31st-ranked German is in solid but unspectacular form this season. He just barely missed out on the spectacular in Dubai, where he squandered seven match points against world No. 1 Andy Murray, lost a 30-minute tiebreaker, and eventually fell 6-7(4), 7-6(18), 6-1. Kohlschreiber is 10-6 for his 2017 campaign and coming off a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(4) victory over Taylor Fritz during second-round action. The No. 26 seed trailed 5-2 in the final set and watched Fritz serve for the match twice before storming back for the win.
Against Nadal, Kohlschreiber cannot afford the wild shifts in his level of play that were on display against Fritz. Unless the underdog is striking his one-handed backhand almost the way Federer has been hitting it this year, Nadal should enjoy mostly one-way traffic.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 8 games or fewer
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I tell you he was CRUSHING forehands in the practice session. It is indeed in the head!
He needs to practice his MENTAL skills.
#PracticeGOAT
#BetweenTheEars
Bageled in his 1000th match? It’s pretty depressing, seeing him playing like this! I thought he practiced well?
Why is he going CC all the time? I think he should elect to receive serve first in future, his serve is so poor that it get broken in his first service game so often!
Zero pressure in practice lucky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI
So even Kohls has a much better first serve than Rafa now?
33% points won on first serve. So yeah, keep going for safe first serves as you are having great success!!!
I am speechless…I don’t think I have ever seen Rafa play this badly in his entire career…and now they switch to Kyrgios match and I won’t be able to see the rest of the Rafa’s match…
Why would you want to.
I’d rather watch Nick.
He got bageled… lol
If he plays and serves like that in the second. This will be over quick
Can you imagine how under confident rafa will be going into the clay season from a match like thid?
yeah vmk, I am hoping he at least makes it competitive here or takes a set. Don’t want go into the clay season like this. He just needs to serve better and CALM DOWN a bit. Kohls is no federer!
HATE THOSE USELESS ATTEMPTS AT BODY SERVES. They are mostly going to the hitting zones and Kohls is waiting for them. Please go for the corners and line at least twice in a game!
Yeah I stopped watching at 0-1 in the first set.
https://tenngrand.com/2017/03/25/miami-r3-preview-and-predictions-nadal-vs-kohlschreiber/comment-page-1/#comment-255671
Congrats to Me!
(Kommies to Kevin.)
#Humb1e
I still think Rafa will win this match, Hawks! It ain’t ova ’til it’s ova! 🙂
Good anticipation and at least some positive energy. 1-0
Winning one game and now he’s so fired up, so poor thing! Better keep up this level at least.
I feel angry at Rafa but I also feel very bad for him 🙁
Ditto.
DID you see those forehands?? they were barely crossing the net I swear! He was crushing forehands in the practice.
https://youtu.be/eGDBR2L5kzI
Last year Murray was the only Big 4 playing well and finished No. 1.
Now, Murray with a tear in his elbow.
Nole lost in space along with Rafa.
#GOAT2.0 to finish No. 1 in 2017.
Amazing. Must feel just like the Weak Era. Does for me anyway.
I am just at a loss for words watching this. I cannot remember a set where I have seen Rafa so out of it. He stood there like a statue doing nothing.
He don’t know what to think. Rafa gets to the AO final and now this?
I don’t get it.
I meant to say – I don’t know what to think!
I do feel bad for Rafa, even as I am beyond frustrated.
So true!
BTW, Serbian Sport TV switched to Kyrgios DOUBLES match instead of Rafa??? So disrespectful and so damn wrong! Hope Rafa wakes up!
Go Champ! You are better than this! Go!
My comment above was in response to hawks @10.22 PM
121 MPH serve, his fastest of the match. He attempted to hit some corners with his serve and is trying to go for a bit more with his groundies. Fortune favors the brave! He needs to show more courage. 2-1 to Rafa. On serve.
I know!
Rafa’s either being polite or only joking!
Maybe even both!!!
Here is a break point for Rafa!
He’s playing defensive tennis, waiting for Kohl’s errors. Why is he playing from so far behind the baseline and hitting so short? Never learn.
Kohls helping Rafa.
Did not do enough on the break point.
Why always hit right back at Kohl?
Kohls holds.
This is a nightmare.
I really don’t like it when he’s just waiting for errors from Kohl, most of the time he can’t tell where Kohl will be hitting his next shot.
So why did it take a whole set for Rafa to start playing?
A positive point. Thank God. 15-30 Kohls