The control freak was back in control. Prior to his Australian Open quarterfinal, the world again seemed to be back on its orbit for Rafa Nadal, the greatest (micro-details matter) control-meister in the game.
The story line was back on track. Tennis could again prepare for a grand coronation. The game’s prevailing hunk would be anointed. Nadal would march to triumph and claim the “Rafa Slam.” For the first time in more than four decades, a man would at once hold all the titles for the game’s four majors.
Never mind that Nadal’s prime foe, Roger Federer, had survived a huge scare and was now playing sublime ball; that Novak Djokovic had just crushed Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych and Scot Andy Murray was doing all he needed to do to again navigate deep into the Aussie Open.
That Nadal boy was back in gear. His once gimpy knees were again in working order. The fever he caught in Doha was supposedly in remission. He was no longer sweating profusely and losing five pounds per match. The headline in Melbourne’s leading paper read: “Nadal Fit, In-Form to Face David Ferrer.” And before facing his fellow Spaniard, Rafa said he was “perfect physically.”
Whew!
But all was not perfect. Soon after Rafa dropped the first two games of the match to Ferrer — a slugfest start that took 23 minutes — his usually fierce, on-mission expression vanished. His face was suddenly subsumed with a more-than-uneasy doubt. His expressions all but shouted fear.
Yes, the mighty Rafa appeared, dare we say, afraid. Once again, his greatest foe didn’t come from the 127 others in the men’s field or from that considerable Swiss fellow — Roger What’s His Name. Rather, Rafa’s body was once again rebelling. Too much pounding, too much torque — this kind of torture is not in the user manual. As Rafa’s head drooped, as he seemed a bit dazed, as he looked for re-assurance to his friends and his coach, Uncle Toni, all of tennis seemed to ask: “Can Rafa last? Will his body turn his dream into a Down Under nightmare?”
Clearly, the muscle man couldn’t push off on his serves. His oft-celebrated elastic range was now impaired. He frequently flinched as he sprinted wide, the pain clear. His explosive groundies, usually so imposing, were rendered ordinary.
As he went off court to take a first set injury timeout, it wasn’t clear what was wrong: back spasm, stomach pull, hamstring? What WAS clear was that he was facing a considerable foe. Yes, Rafa had beaten his friend and Davis Cup teammate — a hard-working and splendidly accomplished second-fiddle — eight straight times. But on this celebratory night, Ferrer’s speed and backboard strokes were no holiday for Rafa. As Rafa’s forehands drifted into the alleys and he sprayed returns far off the court, Brad Gilbert noted that Rafa was “like a prize fighter who’s been hurt and is fighting off the ropes.”
Naturally, handlers — eager to help the world No. 1 — soon circled. “Do this, do that,” they seemed to say. “I think Nadal is being over-mothered here,” countered broadcaster Chris Bowers. “Nadal needs help,” observed Richard Evans. “But he’s too macho to accept it.”
Yes, in this tournament there had already been five retirements, including a hobbled Venus Williams. And Nadal — a true warrior, almost teary — clearly didn’t want to walk away mid-match as he had done a year ago in his semi against Andy Murray.
Wincing, stretching his left leg on changeovers, enduring a 10-minute delay for an impressive but oddly invasive fireworks display, Nadal battled on as the crowd shrieked, “C’mon, Rafa!” while commentators reminded us that the biggest question coming into this season was the state of Rafa’s often quirky health.
Tennis sages quickly drew comparisons with the Rafa’s prime foe, Federer, who has, despite some back tweaks and a long battle with mono, had a remarkably healthy career. Yes, the Swiss champion is a fitness phenom who fiercely watches his diet and his schedule. Beyond this, Roger has those classic, tension-free strokes and plays with an almost-dreamy efficiency and feathery ease. “Federer is an air runner,” noted Evans. “Nadal is an earth runner. Federer could have been a ballet dancer. Nadal could have been a boxer.”
Rafa, who in fact was still battling a virus, could have been knocked out in Melbourne this night. Instead, Ferrer scored a momentous 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 three-set decision, a history-changing result that denied the Aussie Open of the four best players in the world reaching the semis, which derailed a dream final between Rafa and Roger and left us to ponder a perplexing denouement that again proved that Rafael Nadal’s prime rival is Rafael Nadal’s body.
