Internet Desk: The 17 match winning streak of Rafael Nadal on clay courts came to a halt as he crashed out of the Rome Masters on Friday to Austria’s Dominic Thiem. The fourth seed Thiem defeated the Spaniard in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semi-final.
Nadal, a former seven-time champion in the Italian capital, had dominated Thiem to win the Madrid Masters final last week.
But the 30-year-old, seeded fourth in Rome and building up for an assault on a 10th French Open title, was outplayed throughout a thrilling encounter on centre court.
Thiem, the eighth seed, will now meet the winner of the quarter-final clash between four-time winner Novak Djokovic, seeded second, and unseeded Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro.
That tie was suspended for the night after torrential rain swept the city. Four-time Djokovic was leading 6-1, 1-2 when play was halted.
Nadal, meanwhile, said he intends to have a free weekend before ramping up his preparations for Roland Garros from Monday.
“Tomorrow I’ll be in Mallorca fishing or playing golf, or another thing. I’m going to rest a little bit, I think I deserve it,” said Nadal.
“Then from Monday and Tuesday I will start to prepare for Roland Garros. It’s an important event for me.
“If you do things well, you have more chances in Roland Garros. I hope to play my best tennis in Roland Garros.”
Nadal, given a first round bye, played only three games of his second round match with Nicolas Almagro before his unseeded compatriot retired injured on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old made amends for his comparative lack of playing time with a 6-3, 6-4 win over American Jack Sock on Thursday.
But from the outset against Thiem, who had also lost to the Spanish star in Barcelona, Nadal looked in trouble.
The Austrian’s serve, precision and movement were near flawless and soon had Nadal hitting shots wide of the mark.