Monte Carlo’s clay courts aren’t Rafael Nadal’s home. Maybe, a second home. The top seed has won six straight titles in Monaco. His last defeat in the first match of the clay season was eight years ago. Nadal’s opening match against Jarkko Nieminen took him 69 minutes. The Spaniard won 6-2, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer Win First Clay Matches In 2011 Monte Carlo
He is 34-1 at Monte Carlo.
”I served very well and my forehand was strong, which were also positives for me, but I have to play a little bit more aggressive with my backhand.
“I also have to move better around the court and make less mistakes than I made today,” added the top seed.
Some quick stats:
Nadal converted 63 percent of his first serves, to Jarkko’s 58. The winner struck 14 winners to the loser’s nine. Nadal made only 11 unforced errors; Nieminen had 25.
Nadal may be the king of clay, but No. 2 seed Roger Federer took just 50 minutes to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-1.
“I found I could finish the point almost whenever I wanted to,” said Federer, who never allowed Kohlschreiber to settle as he came in behind deep approach shots to kill the ball with precise volleys. “I was quite surprised because I know how good Philipp is and how heavy his ball actually is.”
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