1 Response to madrid05nadal_ljubicic

1. Voo de Mar says:

   June 14, 2024 at 7:19 pm

   Points won by each set: [ 20-27, 19-32, 34-33, 29-29, 43-33 ]
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   20 % Nadal – 32 of 159
   40 % Ljubicic – 56 of 140

   Ljubicic [12] was in a form of his life in Autumn ’05, playing like a possessed guy, and it seemed that he would get third indoor title within three weeks! After winning the first two sets easily, Ljubo led 30/0 on Nadal’s serve at 1-all when his backhand missed the sideline by a few centimetres; it could have been a winner and a triple break point, instead Nadal [2] jumped to a 4:1* lead. In the 5th set the Croat led *2:0 when a nightmarish game occurred to him (two double faults & two simple volley errors). Anyway he was four points away from the title leading 5:4, 6:5 and trailing *3:5 in the deciding tie-break. “It was a beautiful feeling to play here and I’m really happy for Rafa because he’s young and will have a lot of victories ahead of him still to come,” Ljubicic said. Nadal twisted in his ankle at the end of the match, but he was so high on adrenaline, he didn’t feel it. he was limping the following day and the season from him was over – had to withdraw from Paris-Bercy and Shanghai (Masters).

   Nadal’s route to his 12th title:
   2 Victor Hanescu 7-6(5), 6-3
   3 Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-4
   Q Radek Stepanek 7-6(9), 6-4
   S Robby Ginepri 7-5, 7-6(1)
   W Ivan Ljubicic 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)

   # Nadal was only 19 at the time, but this title remained to the end of his career the only one conquered in Europe under the roof

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