Invoking memories of some of the points he played against Fernando Verdasco and Roger Federer at the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal won a hard-to-believe rally at the expense of Federico Delbonis in the quarterfinals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Friday.
Trailing 6-1, 4-1, Delbonis did nothing wrong on this particular point–perhaps his best of the night in what ended up being a 6-1, 6-1 rout. Still, it wasn’t enough.
Unreal by Nadal:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awh3VLW-JRY]
Brief press conference footage:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4C3Drsh2HU]
Nadal’s banana shot vs. Verdasco in the 2009 Aussie Open semis:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuXsWt53cHs]
A few more Nadal-Verdasco points:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miofGFk5_Cc]
Nadal vs. Federer in the 2009 Aussie Open final:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ7kyUknYjM]
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Thanks Ricky.
He’s beginning to feel it.
Anyone got a video of the full match?
#ClimbingTheLadder
Ricky,
I just came on here and saw this. Thanks so much! I did see the match on tennis tv tonight and that shot got me out of my chair. Now that’s Rafa! Vintage!
Seeing his reaction was even better. That’s when he knows that he’s still got it. Maybe he can’t do it as much as he would like right now, but it’s still inside him. That was a moment!
I don’t pretend that it’s going to cure all that is troubling him now, but just one step at a time. That flash of brilliance means everything.
Is the Nadal of AO 2009 the greatest of all time? That match vs. Verdasco was just insane.
On hard courts, yes.
At his peak he was better on clay, but other people werent good enough to make him play those kinds of points.
Nadal played some of his best tennis in AO 2009. Thanks for the video, Ricky. He’s had bad luck at OZ since then with injuries etc.
Nadal’s forehand’s level was not even close to the level it achieved in 2013 and his serve was significantly underdeveloped at the time of AO 2009…the backhand was incredible and so was the movement and defensive skills
Yes, Rafa is a better player now than he was then but the match against Verdasco, especially, was charged with intrigue from the first point. That, easily, is the best performance Verdasco has ever given. Had that been a Fedal match, everyone would see it as the greatest match ever played in this era.