Video - When Nadal Survived Against Karlovic: Their Insane 2014 Shanghai Match

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 01/10/2025 à 22h44

1 min to read

Karlovic Nadal Shanghai

In 2014 in Shanghai, Rafael Nadal found the strength to frustrate the Croatian giant despite a dismal season. This moment of brilliance on return in the first set also remains memorable.

Exactly ten years ago, Rafael Nadal and Ivo Karlovic met in the second round of the Shanghai Masters 1000.

While the Spaniard had won their four previous duels against the Croatian giant, the matches had always been tight, with Karlovic snatching a set in his favor each time.

At the time, Nadal was experiencing one of the worst seasons of his career, being outside the top 5 for the first time since 2005 and having not won any major titles. Before Shanghai, he had still reached the final in Beijing, losing to his rival Novak Djokovic (6-2, 6-2).

With courage, the Majorcan would escape this trap match after 2 hours and 43 minutes of play and some magnificent points, including these three consecutive winning returns when Karlovic was serving for the first set at 5-4.

Ranked 21st in the world at 36 years old, the Croatian was on an excellent run, but he ultimately succumbed in the tie-break of the final set (7-5, 6-7, 7-6), notably due to an ugly double fault. Still as combative, Nadal would go on to reach the semifinals of the tournament at the time, defeated by a great Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6-4, 0-6, 7-5).