INDIAN WELLS – Rafael Nadal typically puts yeoman’s work in the days leading up to a big tournament.
He’s been a little more low-key than usual this week, though, as he recovers from the effects of a virus. But he was out Thursday morning hitting with Dominic Thiem of Austria, before a big crowd.
You know the first match is getting close when the Mallorcan amps up the level of the … knicker-picking. We’re almost there.
Nadal, seeded No. 5 is in that really tough quarter of the draw along with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and a cast of stars.
His potential draw looks like this:
Bye
Garcia-Lopez or Pella
(Possibly) [26] Fernando Verdasco
(Possibly) [9] Roger Federer
then Kyrgios, Zverev, del Potro or Djokovic.
Yeah.