An ominous Rafael Nadal was in cruise control for Spain at the ATP Cup Monday but Serbia's Novak Djokovic was forced to sweat through brutal conditions for his second win in a row.
The Spanish world number one swept past Uruguay's experienced Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-1 in just 73 minutes in Perth to ensure his country won their second consecutive tie at the inaugural 24-team event and moved closer to the quarter-finals.
He came on court after teammate and world number 10 Roberto Bautista Agut made short work of Franco Roncadelli 6-1, 6-2.
"A great match. I played better than the other day. It was a very positive victory against an opponent for who I have a lot of respect," said 19-time Grand Slam winner Nadal. "I'm super happy."
"Obviously playing Gael, you know you are going to have a lot of exchanges, a lot of rallies. He is a great fighter and a great friend of mine. Tough luck today."
- Really focused -
=================
"I felt that the level was quite good. I was being aggressive," said Cilic, a losing Australian Open finalist in 2018. "I had to stay mentally in the match, really focused."
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