Playing Rafa: Alex Kuznetsov Shares His Thoughts on Playing Rafael Nadal
I have known Alex Kuznetsov since he was 10 years old. I have seen him mature from a young, talented phenom, into a world class player. He showed amazing potential at a very young age and worked extremely hard both on and off the court. Alex had an illustrious junior career, as he reached the finals of the 14s Orange Bowl and Easter Bowl, and winning the 18s Easter Bowl. In 2004, Alex reached the finals of the junior French Open at Roland Garros where he lost to Gael Monfils.
In 2005, Alex was involved in a car accident and broke his femur. This was obviously a major setback in his career. Alex is now 24 and a seasoned ATP tour veteran with a ranking of 179th in the world. He is training harder than ever, and in my opinion, is ready for a breakout year. Last month, Alex qualified for the main draw at the 2012 Australian Open. He won his three qualifying matches handily and was ready to make a nice run in the first major of the year. Then, he received the news he would be playing Rafael Nadal on Rod Laver Arena in the first round. He would be facing one of the greatest players in the history of the sport on one of the biggest stages in the game. This would be the opportunity and experience of a lifetime for Alex. Many of our students at Stadium Tennis Center had either seen Alex play in the qualifying rounds at the U.S. Open the past few years or had heard me talk about him. They were very excited for the match and many even woke up at 3:30 a.m. to watch it.
Alex played a tough first set, losing 6-4, and then lost the next two sets, 6-1, 6-1. After the match, our students were very curious about his experience against an all-time legend. Instead of me telling them about it, I decided to let them ask Alex himself. Here are the questions our students asked along with their school.
Zak Gelfond (Riverdale): What was your reaction when you first saw the draw?
Alex Kuznetsov: Excited and nervous at the same time. I thought people were messing with me.
Nicholas Crary (Birch Wathen Lenox): What was your first thought when you stepped onto the court?
Alex: This is awesome. I have seen Rafa on TV a bunch, and now I am standing across the net from him.
Teddy Friedman (Allen Stevenson): What was the biggest challenge you had when playing Nadal?
Alex: Matching his intensity on every point.
Ethan Moszkowski (Town School): How did you plan your game for Rafa?
Alex: Play aggressive. Look to take my chances when he left balls short. Attack the backhand and get to the net some.
Devon Kodali (Steven Gaynor): Did that plan change once the match started?
Alex: No. I tried to play the same way the whole time. It was tough playing at such a high level the whole time. He doesn’t give you many freebies.
Jason Grunfeld (Berkeley Carroll): Did you have any verbal interaction with Rafa either before or after the match?
Alex: No, nothing before, but he wished me good luck on the rest of the season after the match.
Evan Lieberman (Friends Seminary): What happened after you played a close first set?
Alex: I got my butt whipped the next two. Ha ha!
Scott Kaufman (Friends Seminary): Was that the most nervous you had ever been on the court?
Alex: I think so. I don’t really get nervous before matches anymore, but before the match, I definitely had butterflies in my stomach.
Emma Kassan (Fieldston): Did you motivate yourself any differently playing against a legend?
Alex: I tried to think of it as if it was just another match, but it was hard to do that. I definitely had a little more fire in me playing him.
Rachel Okin (Horace Mann): How heavy was Nadal’s second serve?
Alex: Not that heavy. He has a lot of spin on it, but it is attackable.
Henry Hochfelder (Birch Wathen Lenox): In your heart, did you truly believe you could beat Rafael Nadal?
Alex: I never go into a match thinking I have no chance. I knew I would have to play the match of my life in order to beat him.
