Rafael Nadal picked up his first European clay-court title of the season Sunday after his opponent, Kei Nishikori, retired while trailing in the third set.
The world No. 1 Spaniard raised concerns with his less than dominant play during the recent clay-court tournaments and seemed to be on his way to yet another loss.
But Nishikori, who took a medical time in the second set for treatment on his back and hip, called it a day when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0, to give Nadal his fourth Madrid Open trophy. By reaching the finals, the Japanese star moved up three spots to a career high world No. 9.
With the victory, Nadal became the first repeat winner in Madrid and picked up his 44th career title on clay. But the win is only his second clay-court title of the year on a surface he typically rules.
“I was blocked. There were some moments where, I don’t know, I couldn’t find myself,” Nadal said (via Associated Press). “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to play or I was missing intensity, I was just mentally blocked.”
The Madrid Open win guarantees that he will stay No. 1 in the rankings leading up the French Open that begins May 25.
read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/05/12/rafael-nadal-maria-sharapova-are-the-big-winners-in-madrid/
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