I am taking a look at the nadal vs dologo match. just 5 games into the first set and I am seeing indications of nadal wanting to trust his backhand less.
huge mistake. this is dolgopolov. nadal would win this match in 59 minutes.
he should have trust his backhand more because he will need it against nole or roger in the final.
one small difference from last week: nadal is looking to serve a little better this week and it shows.
so basically 4 things are hurting nadal right now:
1. mental and physical fatigue
2. some loss in confidence off the backhand wing
3. not returning well. he returned horribly last week at the china open
4. some serve issues
you cant beat nole on the hard courts in a best of 3 sets format if you are having these issues.
I agree about the backhand. So far his serve looks much better than it did in Beijing, perhaps this is due to the faster surface. The mental fatigue is what worries me the most. He has already played 70 singles matches since February and he looks burned out.