Published 21:07 IST, January 6th 2020
Rafael Nadal flawless as Novak Djokovic braves brutal conditions at ATP Cup
Rafael Nadal was in cruise control for Spain at the ATP Cup Monday but Serbia's Novak Djokovic was forced to sweat through brutal conditions for his 2nd win
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An ominous Rafael Nadal was in cruise control for Spain at the ATP Cup Monday but Serbia's Novak Djokovic was forced to sweat through brutal conditions for his second win in a row. The Spanish world number one swept past Uruguay's experienced Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-1 in just 73 minutes in Perth to ensure his country won their second consecutive tie at the inaugural 24-team event and moved closer to the quarter-finals.
'I'm super happy'
He came on court after teammate and world number 10 Roberto Bautista Agut made short work of Franco Roncadelli 6-1, 6-2. "A great match. I played better than the other day. It was a very positive victory against an opponent for who I have a lot of respect," said 19-time Grand Slam winner Nadal. "I'm super happy."
Djokovic was given a testing workout in his opening clash in Brisbane on Saturday by big-serving South African Kevin Anderson, who took him to two tiebreakers. He was back to his dominant best against France's Gael Monfils, but the sapping heat and humidity made the 6-3, 6-2 win harder than the score suggested.
"It was definitely one of the most humid conditions that I have ever had in my career. Tonight was brutal," said the world number two, who extended his record over Monfils to 16-0, dating back 15 years. "Obviously playing Gael, you know you are going to have a lot of exchanges, a lot of rallies. He is a great fighter and a great friend of mine. Tough luck today."
21:07 IST, January 6th 2020