Less than a month after completing the much-coveted ‘La Decima’ on the terre battue of Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal returned to the serene grasscourts of The All England Club to notch up his eighth Major win in a row on Monday.
With an effortless 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 137th ranked John Millman of Australia, the fourth seed and two-time champion removed all seeds of doubt which anybody had about his grasscourt form.
Minutes before his victory, another two-time former winner and fellow lefty - Petra Kvitova - added yet another chapter to her love story with The Championships. The 11th seeded Czech started slow but ended with a flourish for a 6-3, 6-4 win over the 53rd ranked Swede Johanna Larsson.
It has been an emotional return to the hallowed SW19 for both, more so for the affable Czech. The 2011 and 2014 champion suffered a harrowing attack on her playing hand at her home in the Czech Republic at the end of last year which required surgery.
Having had to sit out the first five months of the year, she made her comeback at the French Open and won the title in just her second tournament at Birmingham. Kvitova’s participation at Wimbledon after that ordeal and the win is a testament to her sheer willpower and unconditional love for her sport.
It took her only a few games to erase all those memories and get settled in her match. After trailing by a break, she levelled the first set and won it after trading yet another break.
In the second set, she thundered 19 winners, four aces and broke Larsson twice to seal the triumph in 1 hour 24 minutes.
Kvitova next takes on the World No. 95 Madison Brengle of the USA.
Nadal gets his first win since 2015
For Nadal too, today’s win has been special. 12 months ago, the Spaniard had to withdraw from The Championships to heal his wrist that hampered half of his season.
This time, he has been extra careful to give himself the best possible chance of adding another crown on these pristine lawns. The 31-year-old very rightly chose some much-needed rest after his history-making clay season and pulled out of the Aegon Championships at the Queen’s Club in favour of training at home.
Rafa proved that it was not a risky gamble and perhaps one that he desperately required to play a full season - something that he failed to do in 2016.
The five-time finalist made a blazing start and put Millman under pressure right from the word go.
His tally of 33 winners to just 18 unforced errors validate that Rafa was all prepared to make a statement. In much of his performance, it was the backhand, loaded with pace and power that stood out and kept troubling the Australian.
Another aspect of his game that made quite a difference was his net point conversion. Rafa’s forays into the forecourt pretty much paid rich dividends most of the time which is corroborated by the fact that he had 76% (19/25) success there.
Millman was a spectator for the first set. It was only in the fifth game of the second set that he finally could produce a service breakthrough. His joy, however, did not last long as the 15-time Major champion came roaring back to break again and pocket the set soon after.
In the third, a determined Rafa dropped his serve only once but made amends by making in-roads into his opponent’s serve thrice and served out the win to love with a ferocious forehand winner in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Nadal next meets the 43rd ranked Donald Young for a place in the third round.
Also Read: Wimbledon 2017: Listen to draw reactions and preview with Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
