Wimbledon 2011: Rafael Nadal Puts In A Professional Performance To Defeat Ryan Sweeting

Rafael Nadal moved into the third round defeating Ryan Sweeting in straight sets 6-3 6-2 6-4.

Rafael Nadal started his match against Ryan Sweeting under closed roof. He continued his serve strategy from the very first game hitting first serves with the same power he had hit them at the U.S Open. He had already come to the net five times in the first three games and won 4 of the 5 points. Ryan Sweeting, a former U.S Open Junior Champion, was playing freely, least overawed and without any apparent nerves. The excessive top spin was not creating any abnormal problems for his 6 ft. 5 inch frame. But in the fourth game he double faulted on a break point and gave the game on a platter to Nadal. Champions do not look back from there. Trailing 2-4, Sweeting changed his game plan and started hitting the ball harder. Nadal continued his aggressive play and closed out the first set without loss of any point in the ninth game. He hit his second ace on the first set point.

Ryan Sweeting lost the very first service game in the second set. It was mainly due to impeccable defences of Nadal. It was becoming clear that Nadal was taking the match more seriously than he does in the earlier rounds of Wimbledon. He had committed just two unforced errors in the first 13 games of the match. Sweeting had decided that only offence is going to get him somewhere, if at all. But it was not a reckless aggression. He had also committed just five unforced errors in the first 13 games. In spite of that, he could not make any impact. It was only in the fifth game of the second set that Nadal loosened his grip a bit by indulging in backhand slice practice and gave a game to Sweeting. Sweeting got the second game of the second set when Nadal dumped backhand slice into the net. Nadal closed out the second set with an ace without dropping any point.

Nadal broke Sweeting in the third game of the third set and it looked that it would be the decisive break. Sweeting broke back immediately, rushing to the net on the break point and volleying a winner. That was the only way Sweeting could make an impression in the match. He had nothing to lose now. Nadal backhand slice into  the net gave the fifth game to Sweeting. The match was becoming more interesting. In the seventh game, Sweeting committed two double faults and was broken by Nadal. Sweeting wanted to spend all the remaining energy on the court and hit some very powerful winners. He brought the third set score to 5-4 and passed on the pressure to Nadal to serve out the match. The six points played in the final game were the best and the lingering cheers after the match told how much the spectators enjoyed the match.