Australian Open 2012: Nadal Plays Safe To Move Into Third Round

Rafael Nadal was made to work hard by the old guard Tommy Haas in the second round. It was a straight set victory in 6-4 6-3 6-4, but each game took more than five minutes on an average to complete.

Tommy Haas plays old type of tennis where he mixes up things and goes for court placement than sheer power. He was also the oldest player in the men’s section of draw. In each of the first two sets, Nadal went up a break in the very first service game of Haas. Perhaps his choice of electing to receive after winning the toss was his game plan which he executed well to start with. However, he himself was broken once each in the first and the third set. There was no scare at any point in the match, but the game left a few pondering points for Nadal’s fans. His average serve speed was 176 kmph on the first serve and 135 kmph on the second serve. He served two aces and two double faults. He also played short balls and stock shots to the backhand of the single fisted Haas to remain in the rally. It was the consistency of his ground strokes which took him through, though he did hit a number of winners. With the right knee strapped, he might have preferred to have a shorter stay on court.

In the third round, he will meet the winner from Lukas Lacko - Donald Young match.