Translation courtesy of reiko; Cover photo courtesy of Caz
Click here for photo scans from the Magazine

Special article by Mr. Minoru Ueda (a Japanese Tennis coach, currently studying in Barcelona), who witnessed Nada's win over Costa, etc.

First time I saw the two .....

(Nadal was given a wild card at Wimbledon Junior last year.) What I saw there was Nadal's animal-like tennis. He seemed to be playing by instinct. He was beaten by Ouhab (Algeria) in SF, but was much more impressive than the finalists.

Surprising debut .....

Watching Nadal playing, he reminds me of Jimmy Connors. Partly because of both being lefty. There is a reminiscence of Connors in Nadal's energetic movements as he plays any ball with his 100%; the way he shakes his head, with his bangs swinging accordingly, before he gets ready for serving or receiving; his look as if having his eye on a game; how he jumps at a ball, stretching his body to the limit; how sharply he changes direction in order to cover the court, even when losing his balance. But Nadal is much more dynamic than Connors. .....

Monte Carlo Open.....

Nothing can withstand him; this best describes Nadal at Monte Carlo. He overwhelmed the opponents in the tough qualification. In the 1st round of the main draw, Nadal crushed Kucera, known for being tenacious, allowing no time to play his tennis. In the 2nd round against Costa, Nadal chased down every ball with heavy top-spin strokes and quick footwork. In the 1st set Nadal was behind (0-2 and 2-4), but he counter-attacked Costa�fs could-have-been winners. In the end, Costa lost patience and Nadal, who hung in there, won the game for 7-5, 6-3.

In the QF, Coria sends balls to Nadal's BH. (Nadal's BH tends to be short, compared to his deep FH.) And when Nadal hits the ball short, Coria puts pressure on Nadal, hitting either down-the-line or cross. Or he uses drop shots, when Nadal loses balance, to move Nadal back and forth. Though the 1st set was very close, Nadal commits a lot of unforced errors in the 2nd set and lost for 6-7, 2-6. Once behind, he could not recapture concentration any more. But Gasquet and Nadal must have learned a lot in this tournament.

Barcelona Open

Nadal appeared in the tournament advertising; he was already expected as a new face of the Spanish Tennis. .....

In the 2nd round he lost to Corretja, but Nadal was directing the rallies. In the 1st set, Corretja was in the lead, sending balls to Nadal's BH, but could not keep it: 6-3 for Nadal. In the 2nd set, Corretja sends balls to Nadal's FH open space. Nadal plays some counter-shots but Corretja moves him right and left. 3-6. 6-2, 6-1 for Corretja. Corretja's strategy won. .....

Technical aspects of the two .....

Compared to Gasquet, I got the impression that Nadal's technique is still unpolished. Watching his game, I could see him trying to play more at net. ..... When he hits hard with heavy top spin, you hear a crick on impact as if the racket creaks/squeaks. Never heard anything like that by any other players before.

Mental and Physical of the two

Having seen the matches they lost, I noticed their mental immaturity. They can play 3-set matches giving their 100%, but it will take some more time before they can play mental-consuming 5-set matches for 2 weeks long. But then, they are still very young. Experience will bring them the necessary mental maturity......

Nadal looks formidable, but sometimes he seems to be too emotional/excited to engage (or "a lot of noise but no forward motion"). The match against Corretja was the very example of it.

Comparison with Japanese Juniors

Four years ago Tennis Journal wrote about Nadal and Gasquet for the first time. Mr. Matsushima of Kids-tennis.com introduced the two 13 year-olds he had seen at World Youth, saying "I've seen terrific ones there." .....

Their ways of hitting are original, imitating no other players. ..... Nadal's swing speed is explosive. ..... At Wimbledon, where balls bounce low, he hit BH wide-stance, with his back knee almost touched to the ground. .....

The reason why they can already compete in the professional level is not only their offense ability but defense ability. Hitting hard is actually not difficult at their level. But they are outstanding in counter-attacking a hard-hit ball or defending with slices. We can expect them to be all-round players based on strokes, well-balanced in offense and defense. In other words, in future they will play as Agassi or Hewitt, but then in further developed style.

From Tennis Journal, No. 239 (Sep 2003 edition)



**Thanks to reiko for translating from Japanese (much of the Gasquet info was edited out). Also, thanks to Hanae for providing the magazine to reiko, and many thanks to reiko for the scans. Please do not use or copy without the permission of the Rafaelnadal.com. Thanks.**

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