"Rafael Nadal does an amazing job of controlling the time and tempo of the match, he is playing on his own terms" - Cameron Norrie

Cameron Norrie heaped praise on Rafael Nadal, declaring that the Spaniard has mastered the art of making his opponents play to his own tunes. The Brit was of the opinion that nobody else controlled the time and tempo of a match like Nadal, and considered it the major reason for his continued success.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion defeated Norrie 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the 2022 Mexican Open to lift his third title of the year. The win also extended his winning streak since the turn of the year to 15, his best ever start to a season.

Speaking at his press conference after the loss, the British No. 1 was all praise for his vanquisher. He pointed out how the World No. 5 pushed the time restriction on serves to its limits while still staying within the rules of the game. Instead of looking at it as something unsportsmanlike, however, the World No. 12 hoped to implement the same strategy in his own matches since it was obviously effective.

"I think Rafael Nadal does an amazing job of controlling the time and tempo of the match. When he is serving, he is playing on his own terms. When I am serving, a couple of times I have to wait for him, but it's all within the rules of the game," Norrie said. "He does a great job of managing the match, and that is definitely something I can learn from him."

Cameron Norrie also waxed lyrical about the 35-year-old's impeccable concentration, remarking that he was "relentless" on the court. The Brit opined that Nadal barely gave away free points to his opponents, which meant even a couple of loose points from their end was enough for him to consolidate his lead.

"He keeps his concentration very, very well and he doesn't give you too many free points. You feel like you can't do anything," Norrie said. "You give him one or two free points and you're down a break and then you're battling back. That's what happened [to me] today. On the court, he is relentless."

"I had an idea of how Rafael Nadal played but I think he played a little bit better in the bigger moments" - Cameron Norrie

Cameron Norrie was mighty impressed by how Rafael Nadal played the important points in the contest

Cameron Norrie was also impressed by how Rafael Nadal kept his cool during important points in the match. In the 26-year-old's eyes, what proved to be the difference was the Spaniard's ability to win the "bigger points."

Norrie further added that he had plans to deal with the 21-time Grand Slam champion going into the match, seeing as they faced each other thrice last year. But despite that, he reckoned he couldn't carry them out because the Mallorcan was a "little bit too solid" for him.

"[Rafael Nadal] was too good today on the bigger points. I gave him a couple of easy points here and there but he gave me nothing and that was the difference. It was tough going in, I had already lost to him three matches last year," Norrie said. "I had an idea of how he played but I think he played a little bit better in the bigger moments. I think that's all it comes down to. He was a little bit too solid for me. All credit to him, he was too good."

For reference, Norrie lost all three encounters against the former World No. 1 last year -- the Australian Open (7-5, 6-2, 7-5), Barcelona Open (6-1, 6-4) and Roland Garros (6-3, 6-3, 6-3). The Spaniard won all three fixtures without dropping a set.