The “saturation” of Nadal: one of the most demanding autumn-winters of his life

The Spaniard has played 38 matches between the start of the US Open and Indian Wells, the third highest figure of his career in that segment.

He had arrived saturated at the beginning of the year, Rafa Nadal explained after raising the title for the third time in Acapulco, in a final in which he beat the American Taylor Fritz comfortably. The Spaniard has not lost a single set in Mexico, statistics that as he has said serves to gain confidence after the defeat in the quarterfinals of Australia against Thiem.

That saturation of Nadal, which next spring will turn 34, is explained in the data of games played. If we analyze the career of Manacor and the matches played from the start of the US Open, at the end of August, until the last title played before Indian Wells, the first 1,000 Masters of the season, this will be the third season most loaded with tennis in the whole life of number two in the world.

Between his debut in New York at the end of August until the final of Acapulco against Fritz he has played 36 games. 38 disputed in the same period of 2015-2016 and 43 in that segment of 2013-2014. The rest of the years, either because of injuries or because of the organization of your calendar, you always play less. In his two previous courses, for example, he had played 15 and 28 for the injuries suffered in the heat of Australia and the US Open in 2018.

At the beginning of September 2019 he won in New York and retired from the Laver Cup because of problems in his face. He returned, after his wedding, at the end of October for the Paris Masters, where he left in the semifinals for an abdominal injury. He was ready for the ATP Finals in London, which were held a week later and where he failed to overcome the first round, and led Spain in the Davis Cup in Madrid at seven days: five individual matches and five victories. And, in addition, three wins in doubles. The schedules, of course, were protagonists and further affected his fatigue: I arrived at my room at four o'clock in the morning, the tennis player complained.

Nadal took a couple of weeks off before starting to prepare the ATP Cup, Davis's twin, which began in late December in Australia. Espa reached the final against Serbia and Manacor only lost two singles matches of the six he played: the Belgian Goffin in the quarterfinals and Djokovic in the final. After defending the interests of the national team, he stayed in Australia for his first attempt to tie Roger Federer's Grand Slams record. With only one week off, I overcame the first few days and lost in the quarterfinals to Dominic Thiem. He made no excuses: I have not had to retire nor have I been injured. I have played a four-hour game and something, and the physicist has responded well, recognizes, and assumes: I have to work to get closer to that maximum level that I need to qualify to win the tournaments.

After Australia, a couple of weeks off and Acapulco, where he has bitten metal again, something he hasn't done since the US Open. 85 of his career for the 17th consecutive season raising at least one title, an absolute record in the Open Era. His next destination will be the 1,000th Masters of Indian Wells, in seven days, the same tournament he had to leave last year because of knee pains and now also see him in the doubles box next to Marc Lpez. Nor does he dispute Miami, where they wait for him in a few weeks to try to assault Djokovic's number 1. More saturation.