Toy Time: Rafa Slices Past Rosol

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Toy Time: Rafa Slices Past Rosol

Rafael Nadal fought back from the brink to take down Lukas Rosol in a heated battle on Monday in Basel, and this backhand slice clinic during the deciding-set tiebreaker proved to be a huge momentum builder for the Spaniard. He would go on to win the final four points to close out his 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) victory, booking a spot in the second round, where he’ll face Grigor Dimitrov.

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The message to Rosol was clear on this point: There’s a price to pay for knocking down Rafa’s water bottles at Wimbledon (look on below, to see Rosol engage in a bit of psychological warfare with Nadal at the AELTC in 2014). Nadal no doubt takes extra joy in giving Rosol the runaround on this point, due to their history.