Roger Federer and Andy Murray back Rafael Nadal to find his groove again

Spare a thought for Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard, now No 8 in the world, will be arriving in New York with only five matches on hard courts this summer, and he has lost two of them.

Rafael Nadal is continuing to struggle this season but Roger Federer and Andy Murray both back the Spaniard to battle his way through it all. John Minchillo / AP Photo
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It has been more than two years since Roger Federer’s last grand slam triumph, but his fans will be looking forward optimistically towards the US Open that starts next Monday, especially after his second win of the year over Novak Djokovic, in the Cincinnati Masters final on Sunday.

Even though he was beaten by Federer in the semi-finals, Andy Murray’s fans will have their hopes up as well following the Scot’s win over Djokovic in the Montreal final and a semi-final appearance at Cincinnati.

Spare a thought for Rafael Nadal, though. The Spaniard, now No 8 in the world, will be arriving in New York with only five matches on hard courts this summer, and he has lost two of them.

Federer reckons Nadal’s struggles on clay are the primary reason for that. Those defeats have eaten into his confidence and exposed him as mortal.

Both Federer and Murray, who each recovered from injury problems in recent years, have backed the Spaniard to re-find his form, and given they have been through what he is going through, they are well placed to comment.

Nadal has made more than a few successful returns from injuries in the past, but it has not really worked out as planned this time around with only three titles, two on clay, won in 2015. He also has not got beyond the quarter-finals at the first three majors of the year.

But, and this will certainly not sound great to his fans, Nadal can always look to Federer and Murray for inspiration if he needs some.

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