Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Nadal - Lacko (ATP Doha)
Posted on 6:20 AM by Lionel Messi
Nadal - Lacko (ATP Doha)
Rafael Nadal took out an aging Karol Beck quite quickly in Tuesday's opening round. Nadal, who had a fever the night before the match, reeled off seven straight games at the end of the match for a 6-3, 6-0 win.
Although Beck is now out of the top 100, a fast straight sets win is still a good start to the season for Nadal. He insisted that he wants to keep his mind on ATP Doha rather than letting the imagination wander on to Australia.
“Right now I am focused and trying to play good tournament here,” Nadal told the press. “I think I finish the season playing better than ever in London. I think I practiced really well in Mallorca during all of December. The past two matches against Berdych and Roger in Abu Dhabi, my feeling was really good.”
Nadal enjoyed a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over Lacko at last year's Australian Open and it is hard to see the Slovak pushing him here. Lacko is a talented young prospect and has considerable shot-making ability but currently lacks the mental toughness and shot selection needed to move to the next level.
