Rafael Nadal may be seeded second at the US Open, but he is looking like the favorite to win the tournament.
Nadal entered the tournament having won in Cincinnati and Montreal — both on hardcourts — and he appears to be on top of his game. He rolled Ryan Harrison in the first round of the event, winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 for his 16th straight win on hardcourts. Every shot seems to be falling for him.
Take for instance what happened in his match with Harrison on Monday. Harrison spun a serve out wide on the deuce court, forcing Nadal to go wide to float a soft return. Harrison sent him back in the corner on the run, and Nadal hit a lob back to recover. Just as Harrison was putting away on overhead winner in the corner, Nadal somehow reached the ball and hit an overhead from 10 feet behind the baseline with enough spin for an unbelievable passing shot.
In the GIF below, you can see how much spin he put on the ball to hook it back into the court:
GIF via Cork Gaines
