Raphael Nadal needed all his skills to defeat big-serving Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic to advance to the Quarter-Finals of the Australian Open Tennis tournament. Nadal won in four sets, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.
Nadal, playing decently but rarely spectacularly, seemed frustrated by the six-foot, ten-inch Karlovic, who not only serves over 130 mph, but can also cover half the net just by stretching his long arms.
Karlovic, named the biggest server in tennis in 2009, averaging more than twenty aces per match, is guaranteed to get a certain number of points against any opponent. To augment his serve, he has developed a strong serve-and-volley game using quickness and reach to stifle service returns.
Nadal won by taking advantage of every error, winning all but one of his service games, and using a combination of excellent movement and a few clutch winners. The match was close until the final game, when both Nadal and Karlovic seemed to know Nadal had won the match.
Nadal, playing decently but rarely spectacularly, seemed frustrated by the six-foot, ten-inch Karlovic, who not only serves over 130 mph, but can also cover half the net just by stretching his long arms.
Karlovic, named the biggest server in tennis in 2009, averaging more than twenty aces per match, is guaranteed to get a certain number of points against any opponent. To augment his serve, he has developed a strong serve-and-volley game using quickness and reach to stifle service returns.
Nadal won by taking advantage of every error, winning all but one of his service games, and using a combination of excellent movement and a few clutch winners. The match was close until the final game, when both Nadal and Karlovic seemed to know Nadal had won the match.
