Nadal rivals must ‘punch him in the mouth’ advises Andy Roddick

Roger Federer: Andy Roddick recalls classy gesture in 2009

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Andy Roddick has explained the ideal game plan when facing the great Rafael Nadal and how is opponents need to “punch him in the mouth”. One of the toughest assignments in tennis has been to earn a win over the Spaniard, something the 2003 US Open champion managed just three times from their ten meetings.

He emerged victorious in their very first match at Flushing Meadows in 2004, before gaining two more wins in Dubai and Miami respectively.

The American appears in the second episode of the Netflix documentary series Break Point, released on the streaming platform on Friday, to share insight into what is required to take down the Spanish Matador. “When you’re playing against the greats, it really humbles you,” he began. “You respected their abilities, you knew what they accomplished but with Rafa the game plan is very clear.

“You’re not going to get into extending rallies, his physicality and what he does so well is so hard to deal with. You can’t dance around, you don’t want this thing going nine of ten rounds. You’ve got to get in there and punch him in the mouth, you can’t wait.”

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Nadal has made a career of physically and mentally wearing down his opponents as he bludgeons them into submission with heavy topspin and pacy groundstrokes. Both the forehand and backhand are absolutely lethal when the 22-time Grand Slam is playing well and, coupled with his resiliency on court, it’s no wonder most players end up on the losing side.

However, it is the 36-year-old who found himself on the receiving end of more defeats than victories recently. He goes into the Australian Open as the defending champion and top seed, but the Mallorca native has lost seven of his last eight matches, including his two singles matches at the inaugural United Cup earlier this month.

To further exacerbate matters, he has been handed a nightmare draw and faces rising British star Jack Draper in his opening match. The pair have never met before but the British No 3 stormed up the rankings last season and has already registered wins over the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Nadal is part of a stacked top half of the draw containing the likes of the Greek and Canadian stars, as well the man he defeated in last year’s epic Australian Open final, Daniil Medvedev. Things won’t get any easier for the Spaniard in Melbourne as he will likely face another young star in Brandon Nakashima in the second round, with the American winning the recent Next Gen Finals and possibly Yoshihito Nishioka will be across the net in round three.

Nadal’s most recent Grand Slam conqueror Frances Tiafoe also lies in his half of the draw with a potential fourth round meeting on the cards after the world No 17 knocked him out in the same stage of the US Open in September, with a possible last eight tie against Medvedev also a possibility. Tsitsipas or Felix Auger-Alliasime could be waiting for him in the semi-finals, and the prospect of contesting another mouthwatering Australian Open final with Novak Djokovic looms large.

Despite his woes, the 36-year-old was feeling positive about his preparations ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year and thought he was in a good place ahead of his title defence.

“Well, it’s true that the last couple of months I was not able to play much tennis and at the beginning of the season I lost two matches in Sydney, but honestly, I am not unhappy with the preparation,” he said earlier this week. “I need to win matches for sure. But the preparation is going quite well, practising a lot and I think I am in good shape.”

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