John McEnroe called Rafael Nadal a “superman” after the Spaniard clinched a stunning victory over Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon. In the Wimbledon quarterfinal, Nadal overcame an abdominal injury to beat Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (4).
It didn’t look good at all for Nadal when he was down by a set and when he required an off-court medical intervention. When Nadal returned, it was evident his serve was impacted and he was serving slower than usual.
Still, he managed to find a way to beat Fritz. “He’s like superman or something,” McEnroe told the BBC. “I thought kryptonite had struck because it didn’t look like he was going to finish a couple of times, but he found a way.
This was a match that for long periods saw Taylor Fritz play some incredible tennis. He is an amazing ball striker. He’s got a huge serve, but Nadal was a genius out there. He knows Fritz is not as comfortable at the net and he exposed him out there.
Nadal tried every trick in the book and in the end he sort of apologised for beating him when he was not 100 per-cent. That’s tough”.
McEnroe: Nadal tough to beat over the long-distance
One of the biggest reasons behind Nadal and Djokovic’s Grand Slam success is because they are almost unbeatable in matches that finish in a thriller.
On Wednesday, Nadal had his back turned against the wall but still managed to overcome an injury and a very tough opponent. “These guys find a way over five sets,” McEnroe added. “This guy and Novak are tough to beat over the long-distance and it’s amazing that Nadal is now just nine games away from a Grand Slam.
That’s tough on Taylor Fritz. When are these guys going to break through? They don’t want to hear after the match that he’s got a great future and he’s going to win big one day. They want to make it happen and these guys somehow steal it away from them”.
