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Monaco won seven games in the last eight sets against Rafael

Nadal and Monaco are good friends, and tennis professionals. However, Nadal never let the Argentinian get it easy because of that friendship, and he defeated Monaco in all their duels

Nadal's results this season are Doha first round, Australian Open quarterfinal, Rio de Janeiro semifinal, Buenos Aires final. If nothing, they show progress. Even though he made a blunder in Brazil last week, it made him focused and thus more dangerous. He showed it by getting three wins in straight sets on his way to this final. He didn't play in Buenos Aires for ten years now.

He had some minor issues with Arguella in the first set, but easily defeated Delbonis. The next one in line was Carlos Berlocq. The Argentinian showed good resistance, but it wasn't enough. 

- Five points in a row, you can't do that without some luck. Especially against a player who can catch as much as Carlos can. He's a big fighter who fights every step of the way - Nadal said. But then again, we can't help but remember Nadal's 20 consecutive points against Verdasco in Dubai.

- I'm happy to be in the final. This is great news for me, being in the Beuenos Aires final for the first time. First final this year. It's a positive thing, and important. Especially because it happened in a place where people love me and support me.

Nadal did have a few critical moments here. He struggled against Arguello in the first set because his hits weren't deep enough, and Arguello could be safe in the rallies and even have a few good hits. Rafa played perfectly against Delbonis, but his break-balls were bad in the first set against Berlocq (0/5), which Rafa admitted himself.

However, we have to keep in mind that the first seed didn't lose a set on his way to the final. Those five break-balls he saved, that wasn't luck, as he humbly said. It was his mental strength and authority against Berlocq. 

After three Argentinians, he'll now face another one. This time, it's Monaco, one of his best friends on the Tour. They played doubles here together, and they often practice together, too. They did it before the season started, and no doubt that Monaco is one of the reasons Nadal is here in the first place. 

Monaco was depressed for a long time, but coming back to clay fixed everything. He played well in Sao Paolo, even though the results weren't easy. He was the only one to take a set from Ferrer who won the title in Rio later on. Here, he got to the final by defeating two excellent players, Cuevas and Almagro, in the quarterfinal and the semifinal respectively. 

What's interesting is that Juan could have ended both those matches in straight sets, but he didn't. 

Both matches were quite intense, but the one against Almagro showed both he and Monaco were quite nervous. It was Almagro who was less focused, and he was punished for it. There were two breaks till 3-3 in the third set, but at 4-4, Juan made the key turn and saved 00-40 one game later on.

- It was a really hard match and I'm really happy I managed to win. I wanted to play the final for a long time, and now it's even more special because I did it here in Buenos Aires, in front of all these people that are supporting me - Pico said, and added:

- Last year I had some problems physically. I started playing better as the season ended, and now I'm in the final again. Hard work pays off.

What has to be pointed out is that Monaco has problems when it comes to finishing the matches. We could see it in the last three weeks - against De Bakker in Sao Paolo, against Nieminen last week, and against Cuevas a few days ago. Even against Almagro yesterday.

Even if we didn't include all those before, the last two matches show he lost a lot of strength in the additional sets against his last two opponents. That could cost him in the final now because Nadal solved his way to get here easily. 

- It was a mix of drama and terror. I might have concluded everything in two sets, but he played well till the end, and the match could have ended either way. What saved me was that I fought till the end. I was a bit nervous by the end, and I could have lost. But I'm happy I passed through - Monaco admitted and showed how much this tournament means to him:

- I got my first ATP win here, and my first ATP title. I'll always remember that.

There were many discussions about friends fighting each other for the title. Monaco and Nadal are great friends, as we mentioned before. Maybe not like Murray and Đoković who grew up together, and are taking a break from that friendship now, but Rafa wouldn't let anyone get a game just because they're friends. The results show it.

The Spaniard's got 5-1 against Monaco, and the Argentinian got his only win because Nadal forfeited. But, what's more indicative is that Monaco was losing convincingly to Nadal, and Rafael didn't mind leaving him with only a few games. Monaco only had two in the first duel, and four in the second. In the last three duels, Monaco got only seven games in eight sets against Nadal! In the last five sets, Monaco didn't win a game against Nadal in three sets. 

This title means a lot to the Spaniard, but him being friends with Monaco doesn't mean he'll have any mercy. Rafa doesn't share his toys with other boys on the court.

- I'm happy for Pico, he hadn't played finals for a long time. It's a joy to play against a friend in a match that decides the title - Nadal announced this final. How joyful this will be for Monaco is hard to say, because he was crushed every time so far.

The fact that Nadal and Monaco are good friends seems to be the minus for Monaco. They know each other very well, and every time they played, Nadal covered this handicap. He only let Monaco get two games in the first match, four in the second. They played eight sets in the last three matches, and Monaco only had seven games total. That means less than a game per set, believe it or not. In the last five sets, Monaco lost three without winning a single game. That can't be coincidence, but it also shows that Nadal doesn't give anyone a free pass, even if they're his best friends. Add to all this that this title means a lot to Nadal. It's not just a little tournament in his eyes. It's where he can start making up and dominate clay once again. That will end at Roland Garros where he wants to arrive with the best ratio possible, and with as many titles as he can, to boost his self-confidence. Last week, he lead 6-1 and 2-1 against Fognini and lost. He said right away that that isn't something he wants to live through again. To lead so convincingly and lose in the end. So he said his goal this week is to play the best he can from the first to the last point. That's why I don't think he'll go easy on Monaco, regardless of their friendship. Everything Monaco does, Nadal does better, and they also know each other very well, so that's where this convincing H2H comes from, against the Argentinian. I believe that will go on. Monaco also played two tough matches in three sets in the lat two days, and the first seed is definitely feeling more rested. I think Nadal will definitely win one set with 6-2 or 6-1.