Rafael Nadal vs. Gilles Muller: Score, Reaction from 2016 Indian Wells

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when tennis superstar Rafael Nadal was a nearly unstoppable force in Indian Wells, California. He looked vulnerable at times Sunday against Gilles Muller during the second round of the 2016 BNP Paribas Open, but he came through in the decisive third set to clinch a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

This was Nadal's first match of the tournament after an opening-round bye and his initial step toward a potential fourth title in the event. According to ATPWorldTour.com, the Spaniard won the BNP Paribas Open in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and reached the semifinals every year from 2006 to 2013.

However, he bowed out in the third round in 2014 and the quarterfinals last year and appeared to lose some of the intimidation factor he typically enjoyed. He didn't look intimidating Sunday, but he did manage to outlast Muller in a grueling third set that remained on serve until the final game. 

According to BNPParibasOpen.com, Muller notched six aces, compared to Nadal's one, but the victor was clutch with critical games hanging in the balance and saved 11 of 14 break points.

Despite the loss, Muller hung with Nadal for the first few games as the two players held serve, which likely came as no surprise to Brad Gilbert of ESPN:

However, Nadal notched a critical break with a 3-2 lead to move ahead 4-2. From there, he cruised to the first-set victory, 6-2, and appeared to be well on his way to an easy win. TennisTV highlighted the fact Nadal was particularly impressive on first-serve points:

The momentum quickly faded early in the second set, when Muller seized a 3-1 lead with a break. It looked like the challenger would move ahead 4-1 until Nadal pulled out a beautiful shot, via TennisTV:

Even with Nadal turning in shots like that, Muller took control and won the final three games of the set to force a third and final one. Gilbert commented on Muller's dominant 6-2 win in the second set:

Howard Bryant of ESPN The Magazine underscored the turnaround:

The two competitors stayed on serve early in the third set and were tied at 3-3 headed into the stretch run. Andrew Jerell Jones of SB Nation raised a pertinent concern for Nadal:

"

Going to be another nervous Nadal display of his lack of mental closing. Just maybe that way until the end of his career.

— Andrew Jerell Jones (@sluggahjells) March 14, 2016"

The stalemate continued as Nadal took a 5-4 lead in the third set by maintaining serve. Gilbert was not particularly surprised it was tight:

The No. 4 seed in the tournament finally broke through in the 10th game of the set and converted his third break and match point to clinch the 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory. Despite some struggles, writer Juan Jose Vallejo was impressed with the breakthrough point:

What's Next?

Nadal will face Fernando Verdasco in the third round following Sunday's action. Verdasco advanced because Martin Klizan retired in the first set with Verdasco ahead 5-3.

On the surface, it may seem as though Nadal should cruise to another win. After all, the southpaw owns a 14-3 advantage in head-to-head showdowns with Verdasco, per ATPWorldTour.com, and his BNP Paribas Open resume is hard to ignore.

However, Verdasco won three of his past four matches against Nadal, including a clash in the 2016 Australian Open. Nadal may be one of the best players of his generation, but the mental advantage could be in Verdasco's corner, given the recent history.

Nadal does have some momentum because he earned a difficult three-set victory in comparison to Verdasco's advancement through retirement, but he is also an all-time great with plenty of wins in Indian Wells in his back pocket. Ideally, Verdasco will be his next step toward a possible fourth title.

Post-Match Reaction

ESPN's Chris Fowler pointed to the wind and Nadal's ability to dig deep after the match:

Nadal addressed those conditions as well, per BNP Paribas Open:

The fact he battled through difficult weather in a tight match could give Nadal some confidence in his own abilities to close out critical moments moving forward in the tournament. If it does, he may just add another Indian Wells championship to his historic career. 

Stats courtesy of BNPParibasOpen.com.