Miami Herald
By Michelle Kaufman
April 2, 2024
He burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old in Mallorca three years ago, and word of Rafael ''Rafa'' Nadal traveled fast. This kid's the real deal, the experts said. He's intense, he's ripped and he's got good genes -- his uncle, Miguel, is a professional soccer player in the Spanish league.
Last year, jaws dropped in Key Biscayne as the 17-year-old lefty upset Roger Federer in the third round of the NASDAQ-100 Open. Nadal could have another shot at the top-ranked Swissman on Sunday after advancing to the NASDAQ final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against countryman and good friend David Ferrer on Friday.
He will play the winner of Friday night's marquee match between Federer and six-time champion Andre Agassi. At 18 years, 10 months, Nadal becomes the youngest finalist in the event's 21-year-history, replacing Agassi (19 years, 10 months in 1990 ) in the record book.
''If it is Federer, and he does not play very, very well, and I play one of my best matches, I think I have a little bit chance,'' the teenager said, smiling. ``If he plays very good, and I play very good, he wins. Last year, I played one of my best matches in my career against him, unbelievable. I really hope I play the same match this year.''
EASY WIN
Nadal won his semifinal with relative ease in one hour 31 minutes, and delighted the audience with his blistering forehand and his style. Nadal wears a sleeveless orange shirt and white calf-length ''pirata'' pants, and a bandanna holds his long locks in place. He wasn't quite as demonstrative as usual, he said, because he never is against his pals from Spain. Plus, he wasn't playing his best tennis. But it was good enough.
The Spaniard is riding a 15-match win streak and going for his third consecutive title after back-to-back clay titles at Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, and Acapulco. He has never won a title on hard courts, but few are counting him out.
''After the second round, I predicted that kid would make the final, that's how good I think he is,'' said TV analyst and U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, who witnessed first-hand Nadal's Davis Cup heroics against Team USA in December. ``He's the real deal. He's a big-match guy. You can see him improve before your eyes. He is so intense, and so strong physically for his age.
``He's going to be top 10 by the end of the year, for sure, and maybe top five. It would not surprise me at all if he wins the French Open.''
ONE TO WATCH
Veteran Swedish player Jonas Bjorkman says every young player around the world should watch Nadal.
''He has a fighting spirit you don't see so often in kids his age,'' Bjorkman said. 'He is fist-pumping after the first point, and is ready to grind every match. I would like all the kids back home to watch him, and I would tell them, `This is how to get to the top.' ''
For now, Nadal said he is not thinking past Sunday.
His plan Friday night was to get a massage, go out to dinner -- perhaps at Porcao in downtown Miami, his favorite local spot -- and rest.
''I am just enjoying the moment, enjoying that I am in a final of a Masters Series event,'' he said. ``I didn't play my best tennis against David, but it was good enough to win, and now I will have to play three times more aggressive in the final. . . . I look forward to the challenge.''
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