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American tennis player Marcos Giron revealed he had the feeling Rafael Nadal could do anything he wanted on the court and added the Spaniard's decision-making is one of the most impressive things about him. Giron, 28, met Nadal for the first time in his career at this past Australian Open.
Nadal, who won a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, kicked off his campaign at Melbourne Park with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 win over Giron. "It was interesting because I've seen him play, obviously an insane amount of matches, throughout my whole life - you know, growing up playing tennis," Giron said on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, as quoted on Sportskeeda.
"But that being said, I was kind of surprised with his shot selection in the sense that, kind of when you play him, you feel that he can do anything that he wants on the court but he always makes the right decision."
Giron impressed by Nadal's shot selection
"He's always able to choose a shot that [gets] him back in the point and gives him an opportunity," Giron added.
"He always - whenever there's a marginal opportunity - he always seems to take advantage of it. He wasn't just blasting winners - you see him in practice absolutely annihilating the ball and you know he has the ability to - but he doesn't play like that, he works his way into the point." Giron noted that Nadal quickly takes advantage of short balls, while on defense he is a wall that is tough to break.
"You think a shot's open and he gives himself time to get back into that point," Giron explained. "As soon as you leave a ball a little shorter, he's very quick to take advtantage of it. And when he's on defense, he's always able to negotiate it.
And like I said, if you leave the ball short, he takes advantage of it and next thing you know - five shots later you're behind the Melbourne sign and he's hitting a short forehand winner."